swing my heart across the line
by hpfreakster
Summary: When an opportunity arises, Bart and Eleanor make an arrangement that will change Chuck and Blair forever. AU.
1. Chapter 1

**Hello all! Back here with another C/B fic, something I might have teased to you. This fic was based off an idea that popped into my head and my general love of arranged marriage fics. It's definitely multi-chapters and at the moment, I've got no idea how long this will be. I've written four chapters, and I'll publish one a week, probably every Thursday? Anyway, this fic (unlike my previous CB fics) won't be angsty, for the most part at least. It's meant to be more of an AU romance, maybe a drama at most. So yeah, I hope you all enjoy!**

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><p>"Mr. Bass, your sister is here to see you."<p>

Chuck furrowed his eyebrows at his assistant's words. He can't remember the last time Serena referred to herself as his sister. Nearly a year ago, she had found out that his staff called her, his sister, and she had insisted on being addressed as Miss. Van der Woodsen, least their be any confusion of her relation to Chuck Bass.

(Chuck Bass took familial relationships seriously, whether or not they were by blood. Everyone knew Serena was his sister. Whether it was because he told them, or because he was the one she flocked to when her latest problem arose.)

He eyed a stack of paperwork on his desk that required his immediate attention. Paperwork that was far more important than whatever trivial problem Serena had.

(She wouldn't have reminded him that she's his sister if she didn't have a problem that needed immediate solving.)

"Send her in," he dismissed his assistant.

She entered almost immediately as if she had been waiting right outside the door. Her blue eyes were plagued with worry, and she fidgeted nervously with her white coral purse.

(She still looked flawless, almost effortlessly so.)

"My dear sister," he stood up to greet her with a kiss on the cheek and pulled out a chair for her. "To what do I owe the immense pleasure?"

"We have a problem," she said, as soon as she was seated. She fidgeted for a couple of moments avoiding his eyes.

His eyes narrowed, "Spit it out Serena." He was used to dealing with Serena's problems, no matter how badly they got. But he could do little if she didn't open her mouth.

"Georgina's back."

For a moment, he's caught off guard. It's like Serena doused him ice water, or he just woke up from a pleasant dream into a horrible reality.

"What," he snarled. Georgina was supposed to be living on some remote island, spending the money he had given her to leave town in the first place.

Serena pleaded, "Chuck, I saw her." She remained silent for a few more moments, trying to piece together her words.

He felt his anger bubble over. "Serena you're being unhelpful. Now I can call up Andrew Tyler right now and have all the answers I want within an hour, or you can tell me now. We both know I hate to wait. Where did you see Georgina?"

"I was going to see Evie," Serena winced, rushing to explain. "We were supposed to have tea together. But when I got to the Palace," Serena trailed off. "Chuck, she was in the Lobby waiting to be let up into your penthouse. She gave the concierge some fake name, and they were trying to verify her identity when I walked in. She was going to wait for you, try and corner you when you got home."

His heart stopped at the thought. "She didn't see her? Tell me they didn't let her up to see Evelyn."

"No," Serena shakes her head. "I had security escort her out, and gave the concierge strict order not to let her within three blocks of the Palace. But Chuck, if she's in New York, she could corner you or Evie anywhere."

"I know," Chuck stood up, walking away from Serena. "I'll take care of it. She probably just wants more money." It was easier to dismiss Georgina's sudden reappearance as a ploy for money.

"Chuck," Serena implored, "if she wanted more money, why didn't she just come see you directly, here at Bass Industries? She wants something to do with Evie."

He turned his eyes on his distraught sister. He took in the way she was shaking slightly. He hadn't seen her like this in awhile. "What did she say you to?"

Serena gulped, knowing she had been caught. Taking a deep breath, she exhaled quickly, "She said that she wanted custody, full custody."

"She signed away her custody," Chuck snarled, fighting the urge to start flinging pieces of his office against the wall.

"Chuck, you know that she could go to court to get that revoked."

"Why?" Chuck laughed bitterly, "Because after so years sunning on some beach, Georgina Sparks has some motherly emotions buried within her that drew her back to New York? I highly doubt it. No, she wants something. More money, fame, I don't know. But I won't have my daughter dragged into the middle of it."

Serena stayed silent for a moment, watching her stepbrother rant.

Chuck turned towards her, "What," he asked flatly.

"Nothing," Serena's eyes widened innocently. "I didn't say anything."

"But you want to," Chuck rolled his eyes. "Just say it, sis."

"Look," Serena said slowly, measuring her words. "If Georgina really wants to get to know Evie, or at least," she amended at Chuck's incredulous expression, "if she can make a court think that, you won't have a case, even if you're Chuck Bass. The mother always gets a chance to know her child."

"Not in this case," he dismissed. "I have the best goddamn lawyers in New York, she won't get within a hundred yards of Evie."

"Chuck," Serena said slowly, imploring him to understand. Whether he wanted to admit it or not Georgina had a case, and she refused to let him lose Evie because he was being stubborn.

"I'll take care of it, Serena," he said coolly, picking up the phone, dismissing her.

Serena stared at him for a moment, before she sighed, picking up her bad and left. She stepped outside of Chuck's office. He was going to hate her for this, but she couldn't just let him lose Evie to Georgina. She made her way to Chuck's assistant.

"Let Bart know I'm coming up," she instructed. "It's urgent."

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><p>Eleanor Waldorf was a proud woman.<p>

She had refused to bow to the whims of others. She built her empire on those principles. She was strong, talented and ambitious. And she would never need another person to validate her.

She supposed that was perhaps why she was so successful.

But time had worn Eleanor down, and sitting in a town car outside of The Lion, she can't help but feel inexplicably nervous.

"Stay close by," she warned the driver. She doesn't know how long this meeting will last. And if it ends poorly, she would need to leave immediately. She inhaled deeply, gathering all the strength and poise she possessed and headed out the door.

She walked into the restaurant, head held high. She was taken aback for a moment because it was completely empty, and in the centermost table, Bart Bass was sitting, looking straight at her with piercing blue eyes. She snorted; of course he would rent out the entire restaurant for their conversation. She composed herself quickly; she cannot show even a moment's weakness in front of him.

She strode towards him as he stood up to pull out the chair opposite to him. "Eleanor," he said, lifting her hand to graze the back of it with his lips.

"Bart," she said as pleasantly as she could, sitting down in the offered seat. "I have to say, I was surprised by your call."

He simply appraised her coolly. "I have a mutual business opportunity for you, Eleanor," he stated. "One that I think you will find very profitable for yourself."

"I'm not in the business anymore," she said delicately. _Or any business_, she thought ruefully to herself.

"Yes," Bart unfolded the napkin in front of him, "I heard about your _financial_ situation."

"You did?" Eleanor intoned, feeling panic curl in her stomach like a hot ball of lead. Control, she reminded herself, she needed to remain in control. Bart Bass wouldn't call her if he didn't need something from her. He obviously needed her as much as she needed him.

"I did," he said disinterested, fingering his wine glass absentmindedly. "Quite the scandal, really. The young Waldorf divorces a Prince and causes her mother's company to go bankrupt. I'm surprised it hasn't made waves in New York."

"New York doesn't care for Blair Waldorf," Eleanor explained numbly.

"Ah," Bart smirked, "but it does care for Eleanor Waldorf. And when the press finds out," he said slowly.

"The press won't find out," Eleanor snapped. "I will make sure of it."

"Really?" Bart inquired. "How? We both know there's only one way to keep this story under wraps, and it involves something you no longer possess."

Eleanor flushed deeply, "If you called me here to mock me, Bart Bass, I will not stay here and bear it. I am still Eleanor Waldorf," she drew herself up. "And my daughter committed no crime."

Bart rolled his eyes, "Yes, yes," he dismissed. "Your daughter made a mistake, and you the ever faithful parent resolved to clean up her mess, no matter what the cost."

Eleanor's face burned in indignation and shame.

"You know," Bart mused. "We are very similar in that aspect."

Caught off guard by the sudden change, Eleanor couldn't help but stare at Bart.

"I am here for my son," he straightened. "My son," Bart said slowly, "made a mistake once and he has paid the price for that mistake many times. I will not let him suffer anymore."

"Don't speak in riddles," Eleanor snapped impatiently.

Bart's eyes narrowed, but he let her comment slide nonetheless. "I assume you know about my son, Chuck Bass."

Eleanor nodded, there were few in Manhattan that didn't know Chuck Bass, some knew him more so than others. She hadn't paid much attention to his reputation, but she had heard bits and pieces of his man-whoring ways. He was currently settled at Bass Industries with an adorable daughter, but many were not buying his reformed ways.

"And of his daughter, Evelyn Bass?"

Eleanor looked a bit unsurely at this. "Yes," she says a bit more muted.

"It has recently come to my attention that Evelyn's mother has reappeared in the New York and intends to fight my son for custody of Evelyn. Make no mistake, Chuck's night with that woman," Bart spat out, "was a mistake, one that he sorely regrets. But my son, for all his faults, has endeavored to be a good father for Evelyn. And he has done so. He has insisted on being in her life, even when I encouraged him not to. He has put her first in every matter. And despite what society thinks, he adores his daughter, and she idolizes him."

Bart broke off suddenly, "I will admit that I have failed my son in many aspects. Every area that I failed as a father, Chuck has succeeded, and proven himself. And I will not let him lose the one thing he treasures in his life, because of some mistake, some wretched woman."

Eleanor looked dazed at the sudden influx of information, "I don't understand," she muttered weakly.

"I have been on the phone with my lawyers all day, trying to see if Evelyn's mother has a case against my son." Bart laughed bitterly, "Despite her track record of accepting bribes, abandoning my granddaughter, and giving up full custody, she could still take Chuck to court and possibly win."

"That's horrible," Eleanor said slowly. She felt for Bart Bass, she truly did. But she didn't see the point of him unloading on her. She already had her own issues, which he knew.

"My lawyers suggested that the only alternative is to strengthen Chuck's case to the point where there's no question that he can provide the best home for Evelyn." Bart eyed Eleanor carefully. "That's where you come in Ms. Waldorf."

"How?" She felt a sense of dread overcome her. She knew even before he spoke of his plan that she would not like it.

"I had discredited Chuck when he was younger because he seemed to prefer boozing and women to business. But since Evelyn, he has grown up. He has a vested interest in Bass Industries, and I would like to retire soon, let my son take over the company. However his reputation has followed him, and very few take him seriously. If my son is going to win this court case and take over Bass Industries, he needs to project the image of a stable, successful, happy man. And your daughter is the key to doing so," Bart explained carefully.

"How is Blair going to help Chuck achieve that?" Eleanor's eyed widen suddenly with understanding. "You don't mean to suggest?"

"I do," Bart said simply. "My son marries your daughter. Your daughter, despite her discretions, is a Waldorf and a former princess. She will provide Chuck with the respectable image that he needs. She will show the world that Chuck Bass is more than a former playboy. He is a business man and furthermore a happy family man."

"No," Eleanor shook her head violently. "I will not allow you to buy my daughter. Not after I just had to buy her freedom from those Royal bastards."

"And that is why you'll agree to this arrangement," Bart leaned back smugly. "Because it will benefit you as well."

"How?" Eleanor bit. She knows how though. Even though his status in the Upper East Side was shaky, he was New Money after all; he could buy them all out in a heartbeat. And in a world like theirs, money was everything.

"If your daughter is a Bass," Bart says, "Waldorf Designs will have the full backing of Bass Industries. It will keep you from going under. She will be protected as well. News of her scandalous divorce will never reach New York. She will enter Manhattan society unscathed."

"And settle down with a Bass," Eleanor snarled back.

"The alternative is that your daughter is disgraced in front of society, and your company lay in ruin. Your name will not be enough to save you from this." Bart stated simply. "Make no mistake, Ms. Waldorf, if you turn down my offer, I stand to lose nothing. There are many other eligible women out there that will jump at the opportunity to marry my son. I asked you because I knew you stood the most to gain, and therefore you would lose the most if you reneged on our deal."

Eleanor shivered. "Bart, you can't ask me to do this. You can't make me force her," Eleanor pleaded with him weakly.

"I am not forcing you to do anything." He looked away from her. "I am merely providing you with an opportunity to save yourself."

Eleanor inhaled deeply. Her heart warred with her brain. She knew that Blair would hate her for this. She would despise her. But Bart was right, if she wanted to provide Blair with the security she needed, this deal was the only option at the moment.

And Eleanor did not have time to wait around for another option.

So for the first time in her life, Eleanor Waldorf let someone help her, and in return made a deal with the devil.

She gestured to a nearby waiter and instructed him to pour two glasses of champagne. She lifted her glass and clinked it against Bart's. "To the impending nuptials," she said before downing the glass in one gulp.

_Tbd._

**First chapter done! I hope you all enjoyed it. I know, I know, Chuck/Georgina is a bit weird. But they sleep together like they slept together in the show, it was a one time thing that Chuck really regrets. I've read fics where Chuck sleeps with Jenny and she has a kid, but I can't really see Jenny as super manipulative, she comes off as more desperate to me. So I made the choice to omit the Humphreys, it made things a lot more concise. **

**Anyway, more still to come, please favorite, follow, and review! I really appreciate the support! **


	2. Chapter 2

**Hey all, it's Thursday! The response for the previous chapter was so freaking amazing! I mean 14 reviews for the first chapter, and 16 follows, even some favorites which is astounding because it's only the first chapter! Thank you so much for all the love. I think I tried to reply to everyone, but a lot of the reviews were guest which I can't reply to, so thank you so much! I really really really appreciate it! **

**A lot of folks have been clamoring for CB interaction, which I'm sorry to say doesn't happen in this chapter. I'm sorry, don't hate me, it's just that a few more things need to be set up before CB interact. It will be next chapter I promise. This chapter is a Chuck centric chapter, B will appear in the next chapter. **

**Anyway, I really hope you enjoy this chapter, I've just finished chapter five, so I'm keeping my goal of being four chapters ahead! Go me! **

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><p>There were many things Chuck Bass loved.<p>

He loved scotch, business, being _Chuck Bass_, money, the pleasures money brings him, sex.

That was the surface.

Below the surface he loved his family (Lily, Eric, Serena, and even Bart, sometimes), Nate. On the good days, he'd even admit to caring about Arthur and Dorota.

But below and above the surface there was someone that Chuck Bass loved above all.

Evelyn Lillian Bass. His daughter.

It was why he pushed aside any attempt to do business and spent all day on the phone with his lawyers, trying to figure out whether Georgina had a case against, and was furious when he found out that she could take him to court and possibly even win.

(He was Chuck Bass. What was the point of that if it didn't mean something?)

He made a point to stop by the concierge at the Palace to thank them from keeping Georgina out of the Penthouse. Mark, who was on duty at the time, stuttered out an apology for not keeping her off the premises in the first place, but he waved it away.

He rode up the elevator with a sense of anticipation, his lawyer's voice ringing in his ears.

_If you want this case to be open and shut, Mr. Bass, then you need to prove without the shadow of a doubt that you're providing the best possible home for Evelyn, which we must make it seem like Miss. Sparks is incapable of providing. Not just barely adequate, or good enough. Any judge in New York should be able to look at you and see the best possible father for a little girl. _

If he were being facetious, it would have been easy to write off his lawyers' concerns. Despite the fact that he still regretted sleeping with Georgina. It had been him that insisted she keep the baby when she came to him asking for money for an abortion. It had been him who took sole custody of Evelyn and paid Georgina to sun away on an island far away from them. It had been him who had been there for Evelyn's life up to this point.

However, loving his daughter the most meant that he was unwilling to lose her, and Chuck could not risk the possibility of losing his daughter because he was lying to himself.

The reality was this, he loved his daughter, but he blackmailed and paid Georgina off to get sole custody of her, and no matter how good his intentions were they were still misdeeds.

He also had a very demanding job. He had never neglected his daughter, he'd always been there for the most important parts of her life, but the thing was, he wasn't always there. He had put in late nights at the office and he took the occasional business trip. And when he was gone, he entrusts her with Bart and Lily or Serena or Dorota (who in all honesty, he trusted the most with Evelyn).

And if he were being completely honest, he could see when the reality it laid out, why a judge might be tempted to let Georgina have partial custody.

When the doors of the elevator opened, he heard a slight scuffle, a gleeful shout of "Daddy," and then there was a blur of purple and brown as his daughter ran towards him and collided with his legs.

He bent down and scooped Evelyn up in his hands. "Evie," he cried out, similar to her.

"You're home early," she remarked, placing her hands on either side of his face to examine him. "I thought you said you wouldn't be home until I went to bed."

"Something came up," he said vaguely, brushing over the issue. "Did you eat yet?"

"Uh huh," she nodded quickly, "Dorota made risotto with spinach. The spinach was yucky, but she gave me a macaroon for finishing all my food, which was really good." She stated proudly.

"Good for you," he smiled down at her. "Where's Dorota?"

"Inside," Evelyn said with a mischievous grin. "We were cleaning up when I heard the elevator bell."

"Evelyn Bass," he said, failing to control his grin. "Did you leave Dorota with your mess to clean up?"

"Maybe," Evelyn smirked, and for a moment he's stricken by her resemblance to him.

(It had been nothing short of a miracle that Evelyn had been all Bass when she was born, there wasn't a trace of Georgina in her precious features.)

"That's not right," he said as seriously as he could manage. "You need to apologize to Dorota."

"Okay," Evelyn said simply, smiling up at him angelically.

That self-satisfied grin, he swore, looking away from her. It would be the death of him.

He walked into the living room where Dorota was just finishing tidying up. "Sorry Dorota," Evelyn piped up as soon as they were in the room. She squirmed in his arms.

Dorota shot Evie a fond look. "It is all right, Miss. Evelyn."

"Was she good today, Dorota?" He asked the other woman.

"The best," Dorota grinned widely at Evelyn and Evelyn beamed back at the praise. It really had been a blessing to stumble upon Dorota. It had been Lily who had hired Dorota for the Van der Bass household when Chuck was still in high school, and by some strange twist, she had taken a liking to Chuck, despite his antics.

When he had Evelyn, it was almost too easy to steal Dorota away from Lily. She had agreed to come along with him even before he offered to double her salary. She was a great help to Chuck, and a companion to Evelyn.

However things had become different in the past few months. She had married Vanya, the doorman of Lily's building, and they already a son, and there was a daughter on the way. She had her own family, and Chuck knew that he couldn't rely on her completely as a stand in for Evelyn's mother.

(He couldn't rely on Georgina at all, but that was a different matter.)

"Everything all right, Mr. Chuck? You look pale," she looked at him concernedly. She had always been able to see through him, and was one of the few people in his life that refused to back down when he brushed them off.

"I'm fine, Dorota. Thank you for your help today, you are dismissed." He waved away her concerns easily.

"Okay, Mr. Chuck," she said slowly, shooting him another concerned look. Before Vanya, she would have stayed, insisted that he tell her what was wrong, but now she has children to get home to.

Evelyn fidgeted in his arms again as Dorota left. "Daddy," she began innocently. "What are we going to do?"

He eyed her. "You're going to bed," he turned towards the clock. "It's almost your bed time."

"But I want to spend time with you," she whined. "You're never home early. Today's special."

He winced at the implication, tempted to give into her demands because his guilt was overwhelming. "How about a compromise?"

His daughter, ever the businesswoman, perked up, "I'm listening."

He chuckled. "How about I read you two stories, but you have to go to bed at bed time."

She considered the offer. "Okay," she said slowly, "but I pick the stories."

"Deal," he said, putting her on the ground, offering her one of his hands to shake.

"Deal," she agreed, shaking his hand. "I'm going to pick out two stories," she giggled, running off towards her bedroom.

He watched her run with a strange pang of sadness. He didn't care if it was a long shot. There was no way in hell he was letting Georgina get even a moment of Evelyn's presence. He didn't care what he had to do to get Georgina out of the picture. He would do it, for Evelyn.

He needed to preserve her fleeting innocence for as long as he could.

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><p>Midway through Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, Evelyn fell asleep, and he tip toed out into the living room to look over the case files his lawyers sent over for him to review.<p>

The elevator dinged and he glanced over to see Serena and Nate stride in. "Sis, Nate," he acknowledged. "Don't you think that one visit is enough family time for today?"

"Honestly," Serena appraised him, "No. We wanted to see how you were doing."

"Yeah, man," Nate said with a sheepish smile, and Chuck could tell instantly that this visit was not his idea. "We want to help you with the Georgina situation."

He eyed the blondes critically. "While I appreciate the sentiment, I am not sure either of you are capable enough to help me take down Georgina."

"Chuck," Serena whined, flopping down on the couch beside him, "You're not the only one who stands to lose Evie."

He frowned. While he wasn't the only one who had a vested interest in keeping Evelyn, he was the one who had the most interest. She was _his_ daughter.

Sensing she had struck a nerve, Serena wisely changed the subject. "Have you told Evie about Georgina?"

"No," he admitted, "It's not exactly a topic you can bring up casually."

"Chuck," Nate intervened, looking surprised. "You should give her a heads up, just in case Georgina tries to corner her on the side of the road or something."

"That won't happen," Chuck growled out.

"You don't know that," Serena said honestly. "You can't keep her around every single second of the day."

"I can try," Chuck barked back.

"Yes," Serena latched on to that. "Yes, you can try. But one day you might have to step out for a moment because of a meeting, or you will have to go on one of your business trips. And then what?"

And the guilt was back. Chuck ducked his head, avoiding Serena's questioning gaze. "What do you suggest?" He offered.

"Talk to your daughter," Serena said, "Let her know that Georgina is back in town, tell her about Georgina. Keep it simple. So if by some chance Georgina gets a moment with Evie, she isn't caught off guard by the reappearance of her mother."

"What if," Chuck swallowed, "she wants to get to know Georgina?"

Serena was stricken by the emotion on Chuck's face. "Chuck," she said slowly.

"I can't," Chuck steeled himself. "I can't let Georgina near Evie again. She didn't even want Evie. I won't let her reject Evelyn again when she doesn't get what she wants."

"Just think about it," Serena beseeched. "Promise me, you'll think about it."

He stared at her for a long moment. "I promise. Now if you'll excuse me," he said standing up, heading towards his room. "It's been a tiring day, and I'd like to get some rest."

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><p>The next morning Evelyn was a ball of energy, and Chuck can't bring himself to actually say the words.<p>

"Evelyn," he said a bit strangled. "We need to have a serious talk."

"A serious talk?" She looked at him curiously. "Like a serious Daddy-Evie talk?"

"Yeah," he closed his eyes at his daughter's innocence. "A serious Daddy-Evie talk."

"Okay," she said simply, straightening up in her chair, mimicking his rigidness. "Proceed," she garbled out the new word.

He laughed shortly at her seriousness, a bit of tension leaving his body at her antics. "Evie," he said slowly. "I found out something yesterday. Something that your Auntie Serena thinks I should tell you."

"What is it?" She stared at him with wide eyes.

"Evie," he changed tracks suddenly, unable to take the direct approach, "do you remember when you asked me about your mother?"

"Yeah," she said unsurely. "You said she was went away. And she wasn't coming back. But it was okay because I had you and Dorota and Auntie Serena and Uncle Natie and Grandma and Grandpa."

"Yes," he said slowly, "It has come to my attention that your mother is back in town."

Evelyn stared at him for a long silent moment. "Why?"

His heart dropped. "I don't know," he says honestly. "I haven't talked to her yet."

"Are you going to talk to her?" Evelyn continued to look at him with wide confused eyes.

"I," he stuttered for a moment, "Do you want me to talk to her?"

It occurred to him in that moment that he would actually do it, if that was what she wanted. It pained him, but he would talk to Georgina if she wanted him to do. He'd do anything for her.

Evelyn looked at him unsurely. "Daddy, I don't think I want you to talk to her."

He sighed in relief, "Really, baby?" He tried to keep the hope out of his voice.

"You said she wasn't a nice person, right?" She confirmed. He nodded in assent. "Okay, you shouldn't talk to her. You shouldn't talk to not nice people, Daddy, that's what Dorota says."

"Okay, baby," he looked down at his breakfast. "I won't talk to her."

Suddenly Evelyn looked hesitant, "Daddy," she said slowly. "Could I change my mind later?"

"Huh?" He looked up so fast his neck cracked.

"If she's not bad, can I change my mind?"

His daughter looked so hopeful, his heart cracked just a little bit. She wanted to know her mother, and that hurt.

He swallows thickly. "Of course, Evie. Anything for you."

Her answering smile is radiant.

* * *

><p>"Mr. Bass," his assistant stood up suddenly when he walked in to his office, looking frightened. "Mr. Bass, I'm so sorry. She just walked in, I couldn't stop her. I called security, but she insisted that she needed a moment of your time, because," she trailed off.<p>

"It's fine, Betty," he soothed the older woman. "Who was it?"

"She said she was the mother of your child."

Chuck felt something in him snap. "Hold all my calls until she leaves, and call up security, she'll get a moment of my time, but she'll be escorted out when it's over." He strode past her, as he snapped out the instructions.

"Yes, Mr. Bass," he heard Betty chirp back, as he pushed through the door.

She was sitting on one of his leather chairs that Serena sat in yesterday. She looked completely at ease in it, unlike Serena had yesterday. She was nursing a cup of scotch, his scotch, one leg crossed over the other. She looked up at him as he strode towards his desk and smirked. "A bit late to the office, aren't you dear?"

"Georgina," he acknowledged, "To what do I owe the displeasure?"

"Didn't you hear I was back in town?" She said in a faux innocent voice. "I had a lovely run-in with your dear stepsister."

"I did," he confirmed, sitting down in his chair with a flourish, "but you know my sister, she's not the most reliable source of information. Sometimes she over exaggerates. She said this funny little thing yesterday about you wanting sole custody of my daughter."

"Tut tut, Mr. Bass," Georgina leaned forward. "_Our_ daughter."

Chuck continued as if he hadn't heard her. "But that can't be true, because you left right after she was born with quite a sum of my money."

"Yes, well, when I left, I was not in the right frame of mind. I had just given birth, I was emotional and you made me leave under duress." She recited, looking entirely too smug.

"Duress?" He scoffed, leaning back in his chair. "You ran out of there before the ink on the check was dry."

"Duress," Georgina stressed again. "Once I had come to my senses, I decided to come back and try to get to know my daughter. You can understand a mother's need to see her child, can't you Bass?" She gasped artificially. "Oh that's right, you can't." Her voice was dripping with sarcasm.

His blood boiled, but he fought to keep his restraint, he couldn't give her any more leverage. "What do you really want, Georgina? More money?"

"I want to know my daughter, Chuck." She explained simply, clasping her hands in front of her.

"No," his voice cut through her explanation. "You don't. And I won't have you use my daughter get to me, not even for a second. So tell me what you really want."

"I want," Georgina leaned forward in her seat, "to take you to court, Bass. Where I will prove that I am a reformed woman who just wants to get to know her daughter. I will receive visitation rights, then partial custody. And then when the time is right, I will go to court and prove to all of New York that you are an unfit parent and take sole custody of my daughter. Then I will sit back watch you lose everything you love, your child and your company, because who would back a man that can't even raise a child, much less run a company. The child support checks that follow will just be a bonus."

Chuck's stomach dropped. "Prepare to be disappointed, Georgina. No court in New York would grant you visitation rights, much less custody of my daughter." He fought to keep any expression of panic off his face.

"Ah well, we all know that maternity is a matter of fact, while paternity is a matter of opinion." Georgina said standing up. "Don't worry, Chuck, darling, I won't cut you completely out of my daughter's life, yet."

She walked out of his office, laughing, as he steamed behind her.

_Tbd._

**I hope you enjoyed the chapter! Please review and favorite if you liked it! And definitely follow if you want to see more, because there is most definitely more to come! Remember, chapter releases are every Thursday! See you all next Thursday! **


	3. Chapter 3

**Here it is, the long awaited chapter 3! The chapter when Chuck and Blair finally meet. The chapter were we learn a little about Blair's past and we get both C and B's reaction to the arranged marriage. **

**Thank you for all the reviews! I think I've responded to everyone, except the guest reviews! 17 reviews this time, and we're up to 31 follows, it's actually kind of crazy, I didn't expect this kind of reaction so I really hope you guys enjoy the chapter that you've all be waiting for.**

**That being said, one of the most common questions in the reviews has been the age of Chuck, Blair, Nate, Serena, and Evie. Although this will come up in other chapters, for now, know that the NJBC is around 23 and Evie is 5. This fic is AU, Blair's side of the story is told in the beginning, but know that B left the UES after Kindergarten, Lily and Bart got married earlier on and Eric is Chuck's half brother and he's still in High School. That was a super quick summary of all their lives, just know that it will be elaborated on in the story as time goes on.**

**So enough of the long Author's Note, here's chapter 3!**

* * *

><p>As she stepped out of JFK, Blair Waldorf felt like she was coming home. It is a bit premature, of course. She had barely spent any time in New York, aside from those few years when her parents had stayed together. However she was six years old when Harold Waldorf left Eleanor for a man in Paris, taking his daughter along with him.<p>

Her main contact with her mother for years had been summers spent in her mother's Paris atelier. That had been until she had grown up, until she had went to Sorbonne, until she met Louis.

She shook her head furious, dismissing that line of thought. She would not think about him. Not here, not during her fresh start.

This was supposed to be her second chance, an opportunity to reinvent herself, to be Blair Waldorf, not the Prince of Monaco's ex-wife. She would not make the same mistakes as her past. She would be better than that.

"Ms. Waldorf," a male voice cut through her haze. She turned towards the source, a tall man carrying a board with her last name. He smiled at her unsurely.

"Yes?"

He relaxed, dropping the board; "Your mother is waiting for you in the car." He explained, reaching for her bags.

"Right," Blair dismissed his explanation, following him to the town car waiting outside.

Of course her mother hadn't let the comforts of her town car for the waiting area of JFK, and had instead sent her driver to pick up Blair. But her mother had come to the airport, which she supposed was a pleasant surprise.

"Darling," Eleanor greeted enthusiastically as Blair slipped into the car. "It's been far too long." She wrapped Blair in a large hug, another surprise. Her mother had never been the touchy feely kind.

Blair's eyes narrowed. "Mother," she greeted back, "It's been only two weeks."

"Yes," Eleanor dismissed. "Far too long."

Pursing her lips, Blair stared out the window. Something was off, she could feel it.

"You remember the address, I gave you," Eleanor barked at the driver, looking tense suddenly. "That's where we are headed next."

"We're headed to your penthouse, right?" Blair confirmed. It had been a long flight and a lie-in was exactly what she needed, maybe a trip to the spa after that.

"Actually, dear," Eleanor trailed off, avoiding Blair's eyes. "There's somewhere we need to pop in first."

* * *

><p>If he had been up to him, Chuck Bass would have stopped going to the infamous Van der Bass Saturday morning brunches when he graduated and received a hefty inheritance from Bart in exchange for a college degree.<p>

However Lily's insistence on the Van der Bass family brunches being nonnegotiable had led Bart to enforce the measure. The only reasons to miss family brunch were sickness and travel (or, Chuck supposed, death). And even travel was a poor excuse in the face of Lily and Evelyn's disappointment.

Family brunch had become an even more important event after Evelyn's birth. Lily had viewed the child as a new start to their family, a family member who didn't come into the family jaded and cynical about the intricacies of being a family. And despite Chuck's best efforts, nothing could sway Evelyn from the belief that there was nothing more important than family brunch on Saturday.

With the reappearance of Georgina, Chuck knew that family time was low on his list of priorities. Bart and Lily were still clueless about Georgina's reappearance, but in all honesty he didn't trust Serena to keep her mouth shut. Besides Evie had woken up with a gleeful shout of "It's Saturday!" And he didn't have the heart to deny her anything.

Besides quality family time should reflect well on his parenting skills, no matter how reluctantly he participated in it.

As the elevator dinged open in front of them, Evie broke out into a sprint, rounding the corner with a cry of "Grandma!"

He turned the corner to see Evie in the arms of Lily Van der Woodsen, looking polished and poised as ever. She slowly let down Evie to the floor and walked towards Chuck with open arms. "Charles, dear," Lily said embracing him lightly. "So wonderful to see you."

Lily had been the only mother Chuck had ever known, and despite her flaws she had been the only real parent he had ever had. And Chuck loved her for that. "Lily," he smiled at her, "Looking lovely, as always."

Lily's smile widened. "Always the charmer," she said pulling away.

"Where is my lovely sister?" He asked, hoping slightly that she hadn't showed up before and managed to open her mouth before he could do damage control.

"Hasn't arrived yet," Lily explained airily. "Bart's upstairs with business," Lily pursed her lips in distaste. "Eric is settling into his room," Lily said with a knowing smile.

"Uncle Eric is back?" Evie screeched happily. She squirmed in Lily's arms, until Lily put her down and she took off running in the direction of Eric's room screaming out Eric's name.

Much like Eric was Chuck's favorite brother (only brother, for that matter), Eric was Evelyn's favorite uncle. Eric had been born four years after the Van der Bass union and was Chuck's half brother. It was Eric's opinion that Chuck trusted without a doubt. Surprisingly he was the most stable of their entire family. He had spent the past few years at boarding school and Chuck had missed him quite a bit.

Chuck made a move to follow his daughter and greet his younger brother when the elevator opened. Expecting Serena and Nate to walk out, he turned towards the sound to greet the rest of his family.

A tall woman with brown hair and a piercing gaze walked in first. Her aura demanded respect and attention and she stared at everyone in the room with narrowed eyes, appraising them. She spent a large amount of time looking at Chuck.

However it was the other woman that Chuck found himself admiring. She was petite and brunette. Her hair curled around her shoulders and she was dressed impeccably. There was something about her that commanded his attention and he couldn't put his finger on it. Unlike the other woman, her eyes shifted around nervously, but her smile was pleasant. He could tell almost immediately that she was uncomfortable, but refused to show it.

"Eleanor Waldorf," Lily gasped in shock. "It's been ages. Oh Bart didn't tell me you were coming today. I didn't even know you were in town."

"Oh he didn't?" Eleanor remarked distractedly. "Well that's a shame."

"Mom," the other woman hissed towards Eleanor, "what are we doing here?"

"Ah," Bart interrupted, walking down the stairs, looking at the pair of women. "Eleanor, glad you could make it. And Blair," he directed a look at the younger woman. "It's a pleasure to meet you." Before the younger woman could speak up, he turned towards Lily, "Lily, I have some business to discuss with the Waldorfs and Charles before we begin."

"Bart," Lily looked irritated, "Brunch is almost ready."

"We'll be done soon," Bart assured her. He looked at Chuck and gestured upstairs, "Shall we?"

* * *

><p>Inside Bart Bass' office, Blair Waldorf shifted uncomfortably as she took in the way that the older man strode towards the other side of the large desk in the center of the room. The younger man, Chuck, she thinks, plopped down on one of the seats with a practiced ease. Her mother fidgeted with her purse, standing as straight as a board, and she was Blair's greatest source unease. She had never seen her mother like this before, even during her divorce, her mother was completely in control of the situation.<p>

"Scotch?" Bart offered to the room. Chuck raised his hand in acknowledgment.

"Neat," her mother ordered. "Three fingers."

Blair turned towards Eleanor in shock. She had never seen her mother drink anything other than wine and champagne.

When the drinks were handed out, Chuck spoke up. "Not to ignore your courtesy, but why are we here?" The younger man drawled, leaning back in his chair, fingering his glass.

"We're here," Bart took a sip. "Because Eleanor and I have a come to an agreement about a mutual business proposition that involves you and Ms. Waldorf."

Chuck sat up a little straighter, "What sort of business proposition?"

"It has come to both our attention that both of your public images could use a bit of a change," Bart said evasively.

Eleanor snorted; half of her glass of scotch was already gone. "Why don't you say it like it is, Bart?"

Bart glared at Eleanor fiercely, but her mother stood taller under his gaze.

"Blair," her mother turned towards her with an apologetic gaze. "Bart and I had a discussion a few days before you arrived, and we think that there's an opportunity for mutual success here."

"I don't understand," Blair shook her head in confusion. "I thought Bass Industries was in the real estate market, not fashion?"

"The proposition we have for you and Charles is more of the personal variety," Bart said delicately, eying his son closely.

"What kind of personal business are we talking about?" Chuck raised an eyebrow towards Bart.

"Marriage," Eleanor said finally, and the room fell into silence.

Blair tried to desperately meet her mother's eyes, trying to understand what was going on. The ink on her divorce papers in Monaco were barely dry and her mother was proposing another marriage?

"You can't be serious," Chuck's voice was stilted and strangled. He was shaking his head back and forth. He pushed away from the desk violently. "You want me to get married to her?" He asked Bart incredulously, pointing at Blair.

Blair flinched away as if he had slapped her. She felt a flash of anger race through her at his words. Really, she didn't want to marry him either, but he didn't see her being so rude about it. Before she could voice her opinion on the matter, Bart spoke up. "I do, and you will do so," Bart commanded.

"I'm not ten anymore, dad," Chuck mocked. "You can't just force me to do things."

"I can when I'm staking the future of my company on your shoulders, a supposedly reformed play-boy, alcoholic, and recreational drug user." Bart snapped, stepping towards Chuck in anger.

"Then don't," Chuck snarled. "Don't give me your precious company, leave it to Uncle Jack."

"Don't be foolish, Charles," Bart dismissed.

"Right, because we both know it doesn't matter what everyone thinks, I'm the only one who can continue to build up your empire." Chuck continued.

"And you have the power to turn it into dust," Bart said bitterly. "I will not let that happen."

Chuck shot Bart a venomous look. "Then you won't have to." And he strode out of the room.

Bart sighed heavily and turned towards Blair. "I apologize for my son's behavior. He's always been stubborn."

Blair wanted to scream. Stubbornness didn't cover it. She shot Eleanor another desperate look.

"I'll speak with him," Bart said, walking out the door.

Blair waited until he was out of earshot before she spoke up. "Mother," she hissed turning on Eleanor. "What is this?"

"What do you want me to say, Blair?" Eleanor pressed her fingers tiredly against her forehead. "This is exactly as it seems. I agreed to marry you to Bart's man-whore son in exchange for stability and money, or would you prefer a lie?"

"I would have preferred that you respect the fact that I just got divorced," Blair snapped desperately. "Mother, I don't want to be married right now, especially not to someone I don't know. I can't."

"Right," Eleanor laughed bitterly, "your divorce. The divorce that I helped orchestrate."

Blair flinched back, knowing that they were headed into dangerous territory. "Mom," she began pleadingly, "don't."

"No," Eleanor cut off Blair viciously. "When you insisted on marrying Louis, even though your father and I expressed the worry that you were too young, we stood by you. When he attacked you viciously and you decided to stand by him through it all, we stood by you. I staked my company on your freedom, no questions asked. Your father and I let you do whatever you wanted, and we helped you through everything. This one thing. This one thing, I'm asking you to do for us. "

"Mom," Blair breathed out. "You can't ask me to do this."

"I am," Eleanor stiffened. "I know it's wrong, but you put us in this position Blair. Your actions have comprised our family name and now our family." Blair recoiled at that, and seeing that Eleanor softened a bit. "Charles isn't a bad man," Eleanor reassured Blair. "He's got a lot to gain from this deal. He will treat you right. The deal we made with Bart will ensure that."

"The deal that you made," Blair corrected almost instantly.

"Yes," Eleanor intoned angrily, "the deal that I made to save us. You may not understand it right now, but sometimes we have to make the hard decisions to save ourselves."

"Except you're the one that doesn't have to suffer the repercussions of your deal. I'm the one that has to marry Chuck Bass and pretend to love him in public." Blair shrieked.

"Bart Bass has offered to save Waldorf designs," Eleanor bit out. "My legacy, and someday, your legacy. It is the only way."

"No," Blair murmured, the fight leaving her. "It can't be."

"Are you done with your temper tantrum?" Eleanor appraised her coolly. "You tried your fairytale. It didn't work out. Now try this. I'm asking you to do this for your family. Can you do this?"

Blair inhaled deeply, staring at her mother for a moment. "Okay."

* * *

><p>By the time Chuck reached the top of the stairs, Lily, Serena, Nate, Eric, and Evelyn were gathered at the foot of the stairs, looking up at him worriedly.<p>

"Grab your coat, Evie," he snapped at his daughter, half-expecting her to argue with him. She must have seen something in his face, because she quickly turned on her heels and strode towards the closet.

"Charles," Lily protested weakly. "Stay."

"Gotta go, can't talk." He said shortly, turning away from their prying eyes. It would have been easy to spill Bart's ridiculous request and sat their while they validated his reaction. But he was no longer the sixteen year old that liked to watch situations implode.

"Charles," Bart snapped from the top of the stairs. "Stop acting like a child."

He ignored his father, turning towards Evie, who was holding her coat tightly in her hands, looking torn.

"Let's go," he said to her, making his way towards the elevator.

"Chuck," Bart tried again, his voice softening a bit. "Can we talk about this?"

He froze unsurely in the foyer. While he was still tempted to storm out angrily, the possibility to Bart discussing his ideas with him like adults was tempting. He debated for a moment, before turning on his heels.

He stalked towards his old room without a word, feeling the tension ebb in the room at his actions. He strode into the room, standing against the wall, waiting for Bart to talk. "Talk," Chuck ordered. "Explain to me how marrying me off to some socialite will help me," he scoffed.

"I know about Georgina."

He stiffened. "Serena?" He shouldn't have dismissed the depth of Serena's concern. Of course, she would have gone to his father if she thought it would help him.

"She was worried about you."

He laughed bitterly. "Then she wouldn't have involved you. If you know about Georgina," he continued heatedly, "then you know about how deep this goes. I can't screw this up. If I do, I risk losing Evelyn."

"We both know the only case Miss. Sparks can make in court is the one thing that you have failed to provide Evelyn with, a Mother." Bart said.

Chuck stared intently at Bart. "Evie doesn't need a mother. She has Lily and Serena. And more importantly, she has me."

"And for now," Bart charged on, "that may be enough. But one day, she will need to talk to someone, and Lily or Serena may not have time for her, and you won't be enough. What are you going to do then? That is Miss. Sparks' case."

"How is introducing a strange woman into Evie's life any better?" He exploded.

"Charles, for god's sake, I am not asking you to love the woman, or asking Evelyn to call her mother. I'm asking you to pretend. Pretend that Blair Waldorf is the glue that holds your family together. Pretend that Blair is the reason that Georgina is not needed in your life. Pretend that having Ms. Waldorf in your family will keep your daughter from remembering that she has a mother that doesn't care," Bart snapped.

"And then?" Chuck questioned incredulously. "Divorce her? Cite irreconcilable differences?"

Bart rolled his eyes. "Don't be so dramatic, Charles. Focus on the present. Convince Miss. Sparks she doesn't have a case. Convince the board that you're a stable figure. And then we'll talk about divorce."

"What does the board have anything to do with it?"

Bart gave Chuck a rare smile. "I'm planning on retiring." He admitted. "I want you to take over the company."

Chuck recoiled almost instantly. Naturally he knew there would a time when his father would step down from Bass Industries, but there was a part of him that hadn't actually expected it, much less his father handing him the actual company. In some ways it was what he had always wanted, for his father to trust him. But it came with a price that Chuck wasn't sure he should pay.

"Only if I marry Blair Waldorf," he spat, letting his walls go up.

"No," Bart said honestly. "I planned to hand over the company to you regardless, but Charles, you know what decision will benefit the company and as it's future leader, it's up to you to have it's best interests at heart."

Chuck stared at his father for a long moment, unsure what to say.

"I'll give you a moment to think about it." Bart said, backing away.

He was almost to the door when Chuck spoke up, "You don't have to." Bart turned towards his son. "I'll do it. I'll marry Blair Waldorf."

_Tbd._

**So how was it? Was it worth the wait? I hope so. **

**I'm currently finishing up chapter six and I'm hoping to get a bit ahead next week by finishing seven and eight in one week. Someone was asking for biweekly updates, if I ever manage to get that far ahead, I promise you'll get them! **

**Please review and favorite if you enjoyed. And more importantly follow if you want to see more, because there is definitely more to come! **


	4. Chapter 4

**Ah! We're at chapter four and chugging along. How awesome, right! Chapter three got a great response and I'm so pleased! Thank you so much for all the love. I think there were 15 reviews (which comes to a total of 50 reivews, 50 reviews for three chapters, I'm kind of dying, I love you all so much!) and now we're at 46 follows. Really you guys have no idea how much I appreciate the support. **

**Just to address a concern, Blair was shocked last chapter, she really didn't expect it, and it's why she acted a little OOC, don't worry, she'll be back to normal manipulative Blair in this chapter. We all know there's no one like Chuck Bass to bring out what it means to be Blair Waldorf. Also don't worry, there will be plenty of Chuck and Blair interaction before the wedding. Though the wedding will be relatively early in the chapters. **

**Now off to read! **

* * *

><p>"Who was that lady?" Evelyn asked when they got home.<p>

"Which lady, Evie?" Chuck asked absentmindedly, searching for the book she had requested he read for her a few moments ago.

After agreeing to marry Blair Waldorf, Chuck had almost stomped out of the Van der Bass apartment with Evelyn in his arms. But Evelyn's slightly frightened face had stopped him in his tracks. He then proceeded to sit through the world's most awkward family dinner. Serena and Lily attempted to pepper him with questions, which he kept directing passive aggressively at his father. Blair and Eleanor had skipped out early, to his relief.

"The lady that came to Grandpa and Grandma's, the pretty one." Evelyn explained, patting down the hair on her doll.

Chuck whipped around to face her, staring at his daughter feeling sick for the first time at her perceptiveness. He debated internally for a moment, wanting to save his daughter the knowledge of his marriage, but there was only so much longer he could hold it off, and it was imperative that she knew before Georgina.

The plan hinged on her acceptance of Blair. And the sooner she knew Blair, the better it was for all of them.

"She's a friend of Daddy's, baby," he explained slowly, walking towards her.

"Oh," Evelyn said simply, looking up at him. "Like Uncle Nate?"

"Not really," he said slowly, "Evie, I need to talk to you about something," he looked at her seriously.

"Another serious Daddy-Evie talk?" Evelyn asked with raised eyebrows.

"Yes," he frowned a bit at the thought of all he was piling on top of Evelyn recently. First Georgina, now Blair. "Evie, Daddy has been seeing someone recently."

The lie slipped through his teeth easily. He had never introduced anyone to Evelyn in that way, but it was surprisingly easy to say.

"What do you mean?" She abandoned her doll to look at him fully.

"I've been dating someone," he said slowly, measuring his words.

"Like Uncle Eric dated Jonathan?" She sat up straighter, a strangely hopeful look on her face.

"Sort of," Chuck shifted a bit, grabbing one of Evelyn's hands. "Her name is Blair, and I asked her to marry me."

Better to spit it out, he decided.

"Really?" Evelyn gasped, scooting towards him. "Like Cinderella marries Prince Charming?"

"Er," he stuttered for a moment. "Not exactly." He squirmed uncomfortably. "Baby, Blair and I, it's very complicated."

Evelyn looked at him bemusedly for a moment. "But you asked her to marry you, right?"

"Right," he said slowly, a bit unsure where she was taking this.

"So you love her?" Evelyn finished for him.

He started to shake his head furiously as Evelyn's face fell. He froze, it hadn't occurred to him how much she had wanted this. And seeing her like this devastated him even more. Knowing that this was a sham, but he would have to pretend otherwise to protect his daughter, only to break her heart in the end because this thing with Blair would never be more than an arrangement.

"Of course," he choked out. And Evelyn's face lit up like a billboard before it fell again.

"Then why haven't I met her, Daddy? Did I do something bad, again?"

"Hey," he soothed almost instantly. "It's nothing like that. I talk about you all the time," he assured her. "I wasn't sure how you'd feel about her."

Evelyn giggled, "Silly Daddy, of course I will love her. You love her, and I love everyone you love, Daddy, because I love you the most."

Chuck broke out into a wide smile. "Is that true?" He wrapped Evelyn in his arms, "Well guess what?"

"What?" Evelyn asked with wide eyes.

"I love you the most, too." He pulled her tight to his chest.

"How much?" Evelyn questioned, a familiar banter between the two of them.

"To the moon and back," he recited their dialogue faithfully.

"That's a lot," she remarked. Her eyebrows furrowed, "How much do you love Blair, Daddy?"

He choked at the deviation. "Not as much as I love you," he said roughly.

Evelyn settled into bed satisfied. "Okay, Daddy. Goodnight."

"Goodnight, Evie," he said standing up and backing towards the door. "I love you," he said softly, halfway out.

"Love you too," she murmured sleepily through the crack in the door.

He walked a few paces away from the door and pulled his cellphone out. His father wouldn't approve, probably, but Evelyn's excitement over Blair had changed things.

"Andrew," he snapped into the phone when the guy on the other end of the line picked up. "I need you to look into someone. Blair Waldorf. I need to know everything about her by tomorrow morning."

He hung up before Andrew's feeble protests hit his ears.

* * *

><p><em>Engaged<em>, she rolled the word around in her head. She was technically engaged.

Although there had been no proposal or no promises of love, she had promised to marry another man, so that meant she was technically engaged, right?

Her first engagement had felt like something straight out of a fairytale. Louis had pulled out all the stops, used his power to make sure the proposal was as unique as possible. She had been so blinded by the romance of it all; she had barely hesitated before screaming out an ecstatic 'Yes!' for everyone to hear. Even through her parents' disapproval, she had held strong by Louis' side.

This was different. Charles Bass was no prince. There was no ring, no flowers, no waxed poetic speeches.

Still, she thought sitting on the center of her childhood bed with a stack of bridal magazines provided by her mother spread out around her, she was engaged in some sense of the word.

Or maybe betrothed was the proper word for it.

Her mother had elaborated to a mute Blair on the ride home from the Basses. Blair would marry Charles, and she would be the perfect society wife for him. He had a little girl named Evelyn, whose mother was trying to regain custody of, she would help Charles with the custody battle. And when the Basses felt they no longer had a public use for her, and Waldorf designs was stabilized, they would find a quiet way to divorce the two of them.

It was all planned out.

She had barely planned her previous wedding. When she was younger and more idealistic, she had her own vision of what her perfect wedding would be. Sophie had destroyed that with talk of propriety and tradition and Louis had insisted that they go by his mother's word. She had worn an outdated dress and held carnations in a large chapel.

This time Bart had insisted that the affair remain relatively small, but had given her free reins on everything else. Except the date.

Even her mother had pursed her lips at the thought of planning a wedding in three weeks.

But she didn't argue. Whether she married Chuck Bass the next day or in six months made little difference to her. She would do what she could to help him, and let him help her, then divorce him before things got too messy.

She flipped through the bridal magazine aimlessly, searching for some bout of inspiration, her mother's words about timelines and deadlines ringing in her ear.

Louis had taken little interest in planning their marriage, except for when she insisted on his involvement to settle an argument between her and his mother. However, she had learnt in the long run, it would be better not to include him, he always took his mother's side.

She wondered if Chuck would have any interest in planning their fake but real wedding. He seemed like the type to have an opinion about color schemes and china patterns. But whether he had interest in a marriage that involved her, yet to be seen.

Suddenly, she felt tired of it all. She was tired of the fact that she was marrying another man who didn't love her. She was tired of having to pretend all over again. She hated that in the span of a few years, she had become someone she didn't even recognize.

She was Blair Waldorf, god damn it. She did not sit on the sidelines; she took control of the situation.

She grabbed her purse and strode towards the door.

The bitch was back.

* * *

><p>His phone chirped irritatingly as he glanced over at the screen. Lily's name flashed on the screen. He quickly pressed the ignore button.<p>

"Well at least I know your phone is working," Lily Bass said as she walked into his penthouse the next morning. "What I don't know is why you're ignoring my calls."

"It's nothing personal," he said with a smile, subtly shuffling the file folder he had been reading moments earlier under some paperwork, "as you know, I've been avoiding my father, and well, you're married to him."

She smiled in return, "Charles, I need you to end this feud with your father. I love the both of you, and I cannot stand to be in the middle of it for a second longer."

The smile dropped off his face. "He told you?"

"How could he not?" Lily sat down on the couch. "You're getting married."

"Against my will," He sat down besides her, crossing his legs.

"Oh Charles," she rolled her eyes. "He's not tying you down and forcing you to marry Blair."

"He might as well have," he said petulantly.

"The way that your father explained the situation," Lily said diplomatically, "this seems to be the best thing for both you and Evelyn. It seems like he's trying to do the best thing for you."

Chuck rolled his eyes. "Don't be fooled, Lily. My father always does the best thing for himself and his company. By marrying Blair, I'm improving my _image_. So I won't ruin his image, his legacy when I take over Bass Industries."

"And you'll be able to keep your daughter," Lily reminded.

"If you're expecting to me to be singing praises of Bart," Chuck looked at her seriously, "I'm afraid you've come to the wrong place, Lily."

"That's not what I want," Lily sighed, placing a gentle hand over Chuck's clasped ones. "I came to see how you're doing"

"I'm fine," he brushed off almost instantly.

"Seeing Blair again must have been a shock," Lily said knowingly.

"The circumstances weren't ideal," he shrugged.

"I'm surprised you remember her," Lily said softly.

"I didn't, at first." He admitted. "But she was Serena's best friend in Kindergarten, right?"

"Yes," Lily said with a soft reminiscent smile. "They were inseparable. Well," she admitted, "until the divorce, at least."

"Eleanor and Harold Waldorf," he recited, "Harold left Eleanor for a male model, right?"

"Right," Lily said a bit taken aback. "I'm surprised you remember so much."

Chuck nodded a bit. He actually hadn't remembered Blair's family drama. He had just reached that part in Blair's folder that Andrew had brought over.

"Well," Lily continued, "it was very scandalous, no one knew Harold was having an affair, much less that he was gay. Eleanor was the most shocked of all of us. I think she believed that Harold would never leave her, he was always soft that way."

"But he did," Chuck said, "and he took Blair with him."

"Blair was always more attached to him, he felt it was best that she came and lived with him. Eleanor was devoted to her company, and she didn't fight it." Lily smiled a bit wryly, "Serena was devastated by the move. She missed Blair so much for a long time."

"I remembered," he remarked. Serena had moped around school for a while after Blair had left, at least until Poppy Lifton had transferred to Constance and Serena had a new best friend before the school year was over.

"All I'm saying, Charles," Lily said with a soft smile, "is that Blair has been like family for a long time now, no matter how long she's been in France. I know that you're not happy with the situation, but we're all trying to help you. So make the best of it. Blair and Evelyn deserve that."

Chuck averted his eyes. "I told Evelyn about Blair last night. She's already half in love with Blair."

"Little girls tend to fall in love easily," Lily said vaguely.

"I didn't even realize Evelyn wanted a mother so badly," he leaned forward on his arms, looking at Lily imploringly begging her to prove him wrong. "But the way she lit up when I told her that I was marrying Blair, it was like that time Bart promised to buy her a pony and bought her three instead."

"Every little girl wants a mother," Lily said softly. "You're wonderful with her Chuck, but as she grows older, there are certain things that a girl feels like she can only share with her mother."

"I should have known better when she considered meeting with Georgina," Chuck laughed bitterly.

"What?" Lily gasped.

"I told her that Georgina was in town, because Serena said I had to be honest with her. Evelyn said she didn't want to meet Georgina, but she reserved the right to change her mind." Chuck cast his eyes downward. "I said yes, even though everything in me was screaming not to."

"You did the right thing," Lily said scooting towards him, placing a soothing arm around Chuck. "Saying that she can't see Georgina will only make her more curious. But Chuck," Lily trailed off thoughtfully, "I'd think that Evelyn's happiness would make it even easier to marry Blair."

"Blair's going to want a divorce as soon as the trial is over and Waldorf designs is saved." Chuck snarked out. "It won't matter to her how Evie feels about that. I need to protect my daughter first."

"Of course," Lily acquiesced almost instantly. "Just please take my advice into consideration."

He mused on that for a moment. Smiling brightly, he looked towards his stepmother. It was an expression he had perfected from Serena, used when he'd like Lily to believe what he was saying. "Definitely, Lily. Now, how about some breakfast?"

* * *

><p>Bass Industries was impressively large.<p>

She had stood at the base of the building, looking up at it for a long hard moment. It should be easy to walk in and demand to see Charles Bass, she was his fiancé after all. But there was something that stopped her. Playing games was something she always excelled at, but this time felt different. She had much to lose this time, and she hated being so openly weak in front of an opponent.

A businessman strode past her and held the door open. "After you," he said with a greasy smile.

She stalked past him, paying him no attention. She walked to the table in the center of the large lobby and gave the receptionist her most innocent doe-eyed smile. "Good morning," the receptionist chirped mechanically. "Welcome to Bass Industries, are you here for the interview?"

Blair sniffed a bit, she was no over eager college graduate with something to prove, she was Blair Waldorf. She drew herself up taller, "I'm here to see Charles Bass," she commanded.

The receptionist's eyes narrowed a bit. "Do you want an appointment, Miss?"

"Ms. Waldorf," she said glaring at her the receptionist. "No," she admitted, "but if you page him, and tell him who I am. He'll let me up. "

"I'm sorry, Ms. Waldorf," the receptionist didn't look even a bit sorry. "But Mr. Bass has left strict orders not to let anyone without an appointment up to see him."

Blair barely restrained her anger. "Look here," she gave a glance at the receptionist's nameplate, "Amber. You will call up Mr. Bass and tell him that Blair Waldorf is here to see him, I am here on very important business that will not be delayed a second longer."

"Is there a problem here?" A security guard walked up to them with a cautious expression.

"Yes," Blair turned towards him. "There is. This pathetic excuse for a receptionist will not let me up to see my fiancé."

There was silence following her statement, as the receptionist and security guard stared at her open mouthed. She refused to cower under their gazes even though she felt like panicking internally because she had revealed her engagement to two pedestrians. Their secret would be out by the afternoon. She resisted the urge to turn around and run away.

"One moment," Amber finally regained control of herself. "I'll just page Mr. Bass' secretary to let him know that you're coming up."

* * *

><p>"Mr. Bass," his secretary's voice chirped through the intercom. "There's a Blair Waldorf waiting for you in the lobby. Apparently she's throwing a fit to see you. And after last week's incident with Miss. Sparks, security thought it prudent to ask. Would you like me to ask them to escort her out?"<p>

"No," he sighed, closing Blair's file. "Let her up."

He was waiting for her when she walked in, but there was still something startling about her appearance. He wasn't sure if it was the chocolate brown curls that seemed to shine in any light, or the sparkle of confidence in her brown eyes that was missing yesterday, or the confident strut she possessed as she walked over to his desk.

"Please, sit down," he gestured to one of the seats in front of him, with a raised eyebrow. "What can I do for you Miss. Waldorf?"

"Call me Blair, Charles." There was something poisonous about her gaze, and Chuck had been around enough UESers to recognize a scheme. "We're about to married after all."

"Blair," he amended, "What can I do for you?"

She didn't look taken off guard that he didn't barter back with a _Call me Chuck, not Charles_. Instead, she sat up a little straighter. "It has come to my attention that I may not have handled yesterday's _situation_ with grace." He snorted, but she continued. "And you were no gentleman either. However I was overwhelmed by my mother's actions and I agreed too hastily under emotional duress."

"Are you backing out?" He was strangely disappointed and irritated, even though he should have been relieved.

"No," she shook her head. "I can't. My family has too much to lose. But I won't let that lead me into a situation that could ruin me. Not again."

He fingered the folder on his desk. "What do you want, Blair?" He repeated.

"I want a Pre-Nup," she said simply, clasping her hands in front of her. "My terms will be negotiated through my lawyers."

"Harold Waldorf and Cyrus Rose?" He raised a mocking eyebrow.

She didn't even flinch. Nor did she question his knowledge of her family. "Who else but family to have your best interests at heart?"

"Yourself," he finished. "I've had enough of lawyers for now. You seem like a competent enough woman." She bristled at that. "Negotiate your terms, Waldorf."

She paused for a moment unsurely. "There's no one to record our terms, and it's not officially unless it's in writing."

Smirking, he pressed the button on his intercom. "Betty, come in here with your laptop." As his secretary fumbled into his office, he pointed at her. "Betty will take it down, won't you Betty?"

Blair pursed her lips unsatisfied. But she made no objection. She waited until Betty was settled in a few feet away from them, before she began, "I want a divorce as soon as my mother's company is on its feet and your problems are settled."

"But darling," he drawled, leaning back in his chair with a smirk. "We aren't even married yet, and you already speak of divorce."

She simply raised a brow at him, challenging him to object.

"Fine," he dismissed with a wave of his hand. "Divorce as soon as we no longer need each other. Anything else?"

"You won't come after my inheritance when we divorce. What's mine is mine, and I won't come after yours," she looked away from his gaze, and for a moment he felt a pang of pity.

He covered it with a snort. "I don't need it. Next."

"I will get to choose whatever I want for the wedding," she listed off.

"I have an amendment." He spoke up, straightening in his chair. "I want the color scheme to be purple."

"Just purple?" She cried incredulously.

"And cream or anything else, but purple should be one of the colors." He shrugged. "Any other choices are yours to make."

She contemplated that for a moment. "Why purple?"

"It has a special significance to my father." He smirked. "Do you agree?"

She mused on that for a moment. "Fine, but you revoke your veto power for the rest of the decisions."

He nodded. "Anything else?"

"No sex." She said simply. "After the wedding, you will not expect me to perform any wifely duties," she explained staring straight at the wall.

"But what if you want it," he leered at her, and she shivered in disgust.

"Trust me, I won't." She avoided his eyes.

"No sex," he agreed. He looked her over again, "Unless you beg for it."

"Betty," she instructed, "strike that."

"Betty," he interjected, "if you value your job, you will keep my comment on the record."

They glared at each other for a few moments, before Blair looked away in anger, and Chuck relaxed into his chair satisfied that he had won.

"You will remain faithful to me," she said finally, and when he stiffened, she continued. "It's for your benefit, your indiscretions could be used against you in court."

He struggled for a moment to keep his tongue in check. It wasn't as though he had a burning desire to pursue an extramarital affair, but the fact that Blair Waldorf thought she could force him to remain faithful was laughable, and he had a sudden urge to prove her wrong.

She was right though; Georgina was cunning and he knew that his previous Casanova tendencies were already holding him back.

He nodded finally, "Anything else?" He bit out.

"No," she shook her head, satisfied that she had finally gotten to him.

"Good," he said simply, clasping his arms in front of him and leaning towards her. "Because I have a final term." She waved her hand in front of her, inviting him to go ahead. "I want you to keep your interaction with my daughter to a minimum. Know what you have to know about her for court, and then stay away from her."

Blair inhaled sharply. It wasn't as though she had expected to have a relationship with Chuck's daughter, she had even forgotten about it, but the protective look at took over his face startled her a bit. He had been all smirks and leers thus far, now it was as though he was someone else entirely.

"Fine," she said quickly, averting her eyes.

"Then it's settled." He leaned back in his chair, relaxing again. "Betty will fine tune the paperwork and fax over a copy for you to sign."

"Fantastic," she muttered, standing up.

He stood up as well, buttoning his coat. He leaned out a hand towards her. "Pleasure doing business with you, Blair."

Smiling, she gripped his hand as hard as he could, and when it failed to get even a wince out of him, she subtly picked in the inside of his palm. Satisfied with the way that he flinched, she smirked at him, "You too, Bass."

_Tbd._

**How was it? Did you enjoy the CB interaction? I hope so, I can't imagine Blair and Chuck going into a marriage arranged for them without agreeing to the terms themselves. **

**Okay, so before I sign off, I just wanted to warn you that there might not be a chapter next week. I'm going on vacation and because my internet access will be shoddy at best, I might have to skip next week's chapter. I'm super sorry. If I get a chance, I'll definitely post the next chapter, but if you don't hear from me next week, that's why. It's not because I've suddenly lost interest in this fic. **

**And if I manage to catch up with writing while I'm on vacation, who knows, you might even get two chapters next week. **

**Anyway as always if you enjoyed this chapter, please review and favorite! And if you want to see more, please follow, because there is definitely more to come!**


	5. Chapter 5

**Hi all! You won't get a long Author's note this time, because I have no idea when this will be uploaded, I'm uploading the chapter early on the doc manager as a way to make the uploading process easier. **

**Thank you for all the reviews on the previous chapter! They were so much fun to read. I'm so glad you're excited to see what comes. With that, on to the next chapter. **

* * *

><p>"I'm glad you called," Serena said for the fifth time as they exited Bendels.<p>

It had been through Eleanor's encouraging that Blair had contacted Serena. Her mother had been insistent that Blair contact Serena. "She used to be your best friend, Blair," her mother had urged. "You'll need her in the next few months."

Her mother was still suffering from the guilt of forcing her into marriage with a Bass and was looking for any opportunity to make Blair's life easier.

"You don't know how much it means to all of us that you're doing this." Serena continued.

"Well it's not like I'm not getting anything in return," Blair shrugged.

"I know," Serena continued undeterred, "but you're helping us keep Evie from Georgina, which means more to us than you know."

"Georgina," Blair repeated slowly, "that's Chuck's wife?"

"No," Serena looked shocked, shaking her head rapidly back and forth. "God, no, whatever gave you that impression."

"He has a daughter with her?" Blair remarked with a raised eyebrows.

"Georgie's Evelyn's mother, but her thing with Chuck," Serena spat out, "it was a one time thing."

"What happened?" Blair asked curiously.

Serena looked unsure for a moment. "I don't think Chuck will be very pleased with me, if I tell you."

Blair rolled her eyes, "If we leave it up to Chuck, then I'll never find out, and that's not really helpful against Georgina. Especially if she's as cunning as you say."

Serena mused on this for a few moments. "Okay," she finally said unwillingly. "But please don't tell him, I told you."

Blair nodded.

"Georgina Sparks," Serena said slowly, "went to school with us. She was a good friend of mine, but she was bad news. My mom hated her, Chuck hated her, Nate hated her. But I guess that was part of her appeal to me. I got into a bit of trouble with her when we were seniors at Constance. She had something on me, and tried to use it against me."

"What?" Blair interjected.

Serena flushed, "I thought I killed a guy," she rushed out in one breath.

Blair took a step back.

"No, no," Serena said almost instantly, "I was there when he overdosed, and I thought it was my fault. But I know now that it wasn't. Maybe I could have done something," she shrugged, "but I didn't hand him the vial of coke."

Blair hesitated for a moment. "And Georgina tried to hold that against you?"

"Yeah," Serena's expression darkened. "She kept threatening to tell people about what happened if I didn't do whatever she wanted, which was to party. I ended up telling everyone the truth, but not before Chuck slept with her."

"I thought Chuck hated her," Blair looked almost disappointed.

"He was in a bad place," Serena defended weakly. "Bart was always hard on him, and Chuck went to him with a business proposal, which Bart rejected. He got drunk and slept with Georgina."

"And she got pregnant?" Blair raised an eyebrow.

"It was her Hail Mary pass, so to speak," Serena said. "Chuck was all ready to throw her out of New York, but she admitted that she was pregnant. She wanted him to pay her off so she'd have an abortion and leave, and I thought he was going to agree. But he surprised us. He made her stay in New York until she had the baby, and then he paid her off so she'd leave Evie behind. She took it because she didn't want to be a mother."

"Until now," Blair mused thoughtfully.

"Until now," Serena repeated, her face falling quickly. "But it's not like Georgina wants to be mother, she could never be so self-sacrificing."

Blair simply raised an eyebrow. They rounded a corner in silence.

"Well, well, well," a female voice cackled, as a tall woman with dark as night hair stepped in front of them. "Look what we have here. Two run-ins in a matter of days, S? One would think you're stalking me."

"It's more likely that you're stalking me," Serena bit out, pausing for a moment too long to catch herself.

"That's true," the woman admitted with a satisfied smile. She turned towards Blair. "Who's your friend, S? Aren't you going to introduce us?"

Serena looked back and forth between the two women, horrified, as the woman grew more impatient. Finally the woman stuck her hand out towards Blair, "Georgina Sparks," she introduced herself. "It's a pleasure."

* * *

><p>"You owe me big time."<p>

Chuck looked up from a stack of paperwork to see a smug woman standing in front of him, arms crossed across her chest. Leaning back at in his chair, he smirked at her. "Malika, always a pleasure." He addressed the Bass Industries Communications Director. "What did you do this time?"

"It's not what I did," she said, sliding a piece of paper towards him across his desk. "It's what your fiancée did, or rather, what she said."

"How did you know about that?" He sat up straighter in his chair, grabbing the piece of paper. "What happened?"

"Why I wasn't informed of this sooner is the question." Malika argued.

Chuck shot her a look.

She rolled her eyes. "Because she announced it to the entire Bass Industries lobby, seriously it was a matter of time before everyone in New York knew. And you were trying to hide it from me."

"It wasn't like that," Chuck defended. "It just slipped my mind."

"Because we all just forget getting engaged," Malika muttered under her breath.

"What happened?" He repeated his question, cutting her off.

"Predictably, someone tried to sell the story New York Post," Malika shrugged, "My contact at Page Six intercepted the story and came to me out of friendship and the hope of a job offer at the Spectator. Apparently," she said pointing at the article, "you're marrying Blair Waldorf. I went to your father and all I got was 'No comment', so I'm here."

"Is the story dead?" Chuck asked insistently.

"Of course," Malika said, "I killed the story, but it's not like I can kill people's mouths. As long as we hold off releasing a statement, we risk someone leaking the story."

"I don't see the problem in that," he said, leaning back in his chair.

"The problem?" Malika asked with raised eyebrows. "The problem is that you're marrying an ex-princess that got divorced a matter of months ago under really scandalous circumstances, and her mother's company just tanked. That article you're holding," she pointed towards the piece, "It says that Blair Waldorf is marrying you for your money."

Chuck looked away.

"Chuck, you can't be associated with someone like this. We all know that Bart's grooming you to take over BI in a matter of years, maybe even months. Image is everything at this point for you. I don't know if Bart's told you, but getting picked to run BI by Bart is simply a hurdle in a very long race. BI is a publically owned company, so the Board still has to vote you in. You may hold the majority share ownership, but that doesn't mean the Board has to make you CEO. Marrying a woman who is publically accused of being a gold-digger will not look good in the board's eyes."

"It's not like that," he tried to assured her. "Blair's a good person."

"Chuck," she snapped impatiently. "She was accused of cheating on her husband."

"How do you know that?" He growled at her, instantly going on the defensive.

"I'm not an idiot. I know how to do my job, I researched her, and all it took was a simple Google search. Her name lit up like a Christmas tree." Malika scoffed.

"She didn't do it," he said almost instantly. "They are rumors and completely false."

"Well, thanks for that bit of information, but apparently it's your word against the Grimaldis' and forgive me if I don't think that 'No comment' is a good defense against the word of the Royal family of Monaco."

"Look," Chuck leaned forward on his arms, "I'll tell you everything, okay? Just know that if what I tell you leaves this room," he began menacingly.

It was an old threat, one she knew well. At first it had made her cower, now she stared at him unblinkingly. "Yeah, you'll ruin me, etc, etc. I know."

"Evelyn's mother is planning on suing me for custody. My father thought it would be a good idea to arrange my marriage to Blair in order to present me as a more stable parent in court." He explained.

"And to improve your image in the eyes of the board," she said catching on.

"Only a few people know of this, not even my daughter, and I would like to keep it that way." He said looking at her hard. "You need to keep it that way."

"Of course," she said instantly. "You risk losing the little Bass, otherwise."

"You're taking this well," he remarked.

"Arranged marriage isn't exactly a novel concept, Chuck," she said delicately, fingering the ring on her own finger. "People have been doing it for centuries, even today."

"Right," he nodded. "So when you leak the story to the press just say that I met Blair in Paris after her divorce and we feel madly in love and want to get married as soon as possible."

"Okay," she agreed. "It's simple enough, and definitely believable. You were even in Paris a few months ago on business, so it's not like anyone can poke holes in it. I'll even release a mushy statement in your name, but that's not going to be enough."

"What are you suggesting?" He raised an eyebrow at her.

"Chuck, your fiancée comes with a lot of baggage, and just having me tell the press that you both are madly in love with each other isn't going to cut it. You're going to have to be seen with her a lot until everyone is convinced without a shadow of a doubt that Blair Waldorf is your one true love. You're really going to have to sell it."

"Great," he muttered. "I'll do it, I think convincing Blair will be hard part."

"You're going to have to," Malika said standing up, "I'll go ready that story for the Spectator. I think it's probably best if we release all the statements to the Spectator directly. That way we can control the angle of the initial story. I'll also call Alex and see if we can stage a run-in with the paparazzi for you and Blair. A shot of you two acting all lovey-dovey should really sell the story. Also we should get a shot of the ring."

"Ring?" He shot up a bit, looking a bit bemused.

"Yeah, Blair's engagement ring." At Chuck's dumbfounded expression, she continued exasperated. "She needs an engagement ring if she's going to be engaged to you. Remember, the bigger the better in this case." She walked out the door, calling out over her shoulder, "Good luck."

He hadn't thought of the ring. Maybe a trip to Harry Winston was in order. It may be a fake engagement, but he'd be damned if the flaw in their plan was something as trivial as a ring.

His phone rang suddenly, interrupting his musing. He glanced at the screen in irritation. "Serena," he snapped into the phone, "I think we've had enough brother-sister bonding in the past few days for a month, at least, don't you think?"

"Chuck," Serena's said tensely over the line, "we've got a problem."

* * *

><p>Serena was gone for five whole minutes under the guise of using the bathroom, before Blair began to shift subtly under Georgina's piercing gaze.<p>

For the first five minutes, Blair had remained perfectly composed, staring at the menu deciding what to eat. It was only after she placed the menu down, did she realize that Georgina's menu remained untouched and her eyes were solely focused on Blair, a light smirk playing on her lips.

She was enjoying this, Blair realized. She had cornered them on the street and all but dragged them into the restaurant, demanding that they eat with her.

Eyeing her back, Blair tried to understand what Chuck might have seen in her at one time. She was pretty, in a devilish sort of way. But there was something in her eyes that scream mayhem. Perhaps it had been the allure of danger. Serena claimed Chuck had been in a bad place when he had slept with Georgina, but seeing Georgina and knowing what she was capable of, Chuck had to be drunk out of his mind when it happened.

"So," Blair said lightly, "how do you know Serena?" She schooled her expression in a portrait of innocence. It was probably best to play dumb in this situation.

"Oh we go way back," Georgina waved off. "What about you and Serena?"

"Same," Blair said, "we were best friends before I moved to Paris."

"Oh," Georgina smiled, "you lived in Paris, that must have been wonderfully. I spent some time traveling in France."

"It is a beautiful place," Blair agreed with an absent nod, searching for any sign of Serena.

"What brings you to New York?" Georgina continued to smile at her.

"Just visiting old friends," Blair said automatically. Biting down on her lip, she said slowly, "Actually, I'm back here because I'm getting married."

"Oh wow," Georgina gasped, "that's amazing. Congratulations! Who's the lucky guy?"

"I'm back," Serena trilled, walking into view at the right time. "What are we talking about?" She asked sitting back down in her seat.

"What are you thinking about having?" Blair cut off Georgina quickly. "I'm considering the lobster pot pie."

"That sounds great," Serena continued to trill, "I'm considering salmon."

"That sounds delicious, S." Georgina simpered. "I think I'll have the same." She flagged over the waiter, and waited until he was in earshot before she recited their order. "One lobster pot pie, and two salmons."

"Make that two lobster pot pies," a smooth voice interjected. Chuck Bass slide into the empty seat in between Blair and Serena, across from Georgina looking perfectly composed. He leaned over to kiss Blair on the cheek, using their proximity to whisper in her ear, "Follow my lead." He leaned away from her and gave her a smirk, "Excellent choice, babe."

She winced at the use of the crass nickname, and she could tell by the way that he smirked that he knew fully well that she would hate it.

"Chuck," Georgina's strangled voice called their attention. She looked unnerved for the first time. "What are you doing here?"

"Oh Georgina," Chuck said with mock surprise, as if he had just noticed her. "What a surprise! I'm just here to have a lovely dinner with my step-sister and my," he trailed off thoughtfully. "Come to think of it, you probably haven't met Blair yet, have you?"

Georgina opened her mouth to interject, but Chuck cut her off again.

He grasped Blair's hand under the table, and pulled it on top of the table to show Georgina their interlinked hands. "Georgina, this is Blair Waldorf, my fiancée."

There was a moment of silence where Chuck smirked at Georgina, Blair stared at Georgina with a frozen smile, Serena looked like a deer caught between headlights, and Georgina whipped her head between the three like she was watching a soccer match.

She settled on Serena, apparently finding her the easiest to break. "Is it true?" She demanded.

Serena's eyes widened further, she shot a panicked look at Chuck and Blair, before turning towards Georgina with a small, "Yes."

"No, no," Georgina rejected, shaking her head furiously. "I had a full work up done on you, Chuck. You haven't been with anyone in years," her voice cracked a little.

"Until Blair," he shot her a loving glance that made Blair want to hurl. She tried to school her expression to match his, and she must have succeeded because Georgina stood up suddenly.

"Excuse me," she muttered to the table, "something has come up." She turned around and all but ran out the door, clutching her Prada close to her chest.

Serena turned on Chuck, "How the hell did you get here so fast?"

"You called him?" Blair turned on Serena.

"I ran," Chuck said simply, "Now where is the food? I'm starving."

"Hey, Basshole," Blair turned towards Chuck. Serena gasped a bit at the insult, while Chuck looked slightly pleased. "You do not get to touch me. It wasn't in the agreement but PDA is out of the question."

"Then why are you still holding my hand?" He smarmed, looking down at their still interlocked hands.

Gasping, she wrenched her hand out of his grasp, as he cackled. "Shut up," she hissed at him.

Gathering a hold on himself, he quieted and looked at her a bit seriously. "PDA is not out of the question, Waldorf. I spoke with the Bass Industries Communications Director today, we are going to have to sell this."

"Sell it how?" Serena interjected curiously.

"Blair's past indiscretions have come back to haunt our fake marriage," Chuck explained casually. "People think she's marrying me for my money. Now while I don't care much for Blair's reputation, her reputation now reflects upon mine. And I care about myself very much."

"That much is obvious," Blair muttered.

"Why are people thinking anything?" Serena said loudly, trying to mask Blair's comment. "I thought you haven't said anything to the press. Not until after the wedding right?"

"That was the plan," Chuck said slowly, turning fierce eyes on Blair, "Until my fiancée announced our engagement to the entire Bass Industries lobby."

Blair stood up straighter, refusing to cower under his gaze. Although there was a small part of her that felt guilty, she refused to let him see that part of her. "They wouldn't let me up to see you," she explained simply.

Chuck rolled his eyes, "What's done is done. Now we have to do damage control. We will release a story to the Spectator about impending nuptials by the evening and this weekend, you and I will have a run-in with the paparazzi, a couple pictures of you and I being all over each other and a shot of the ring, and it will be all over. You won't even have to see me until you're walking down the aisle."

"As pleasant as that sounds," Blair said, her voice dripping with venom, "I refuse to be within a three foot radius. So I think your pictures will be a little difficult."

"Suit yourself," Chuck leaned back smugly in his chair, "you're the one that's going to get branded as a gold-digger on Page Six."

"Chuck," Serena admonished, while Blair regarded him carefully.

She was silent for a long moment, before she said, "Fine. But you're missing one key detail, Bass."

"What?"

She held up her bare left hand. "I don't have a ring."

He smirked, "Leave it to me, Waldorf."

_Tbd._

**Hope you enjoyed this chapter. Both the CB interaction, especially since I threw G into the mix. **

**As always, if you enjoyed it, please review and favorite. And if you want to see more, please follow, because there is definitely more to come! **


	6. Chapter 6

**Another Thursday, another chapter! Thank you so much for all the love for the last chapter, I can't remember how many reviews there were for the last chapter, but we're up to 85 reviews and 60 follows and favorites. I love it so much! Thank you all!**

**I'm just curious if anyone has been getting guest reviews that kind of seem like spam. I got like five or six guest reviews yesterday with one word, like one of them literally said Duu. I thought it'd kind of be cheating to include those reviews in the count. I don't mind one word reviews when they are like More or Update, but these seemed a bit weird to include. **

**Moving alonge, not to spoil anything, but this chapter has a meeting that everyone has been really looking forward to, and it's probably not how you expected it to happen, so I hope that you all enjoy it. **

**Without further ado, here's chapter six!**

* * *

><p>"What's that?" Evelyn asked, pressing her pudgy fingers up against the window of the limo, leaving some crumbs pressed against the glass when she pulled away her hand.<p>

Smiling fondly, Chuck answered, "A jewelry shop." He lightly dusted away the crumbs from the window.

"Oh," Evelyn looked away for a moment thoughtfully, "What's that?"

"It's where you go to buy rings and earrings, etc." He patted down her hair, "I need to purchase something, and if you behave today, you might find yourself with something too."

"We aren't here for me?" Evelyn looked insulted at the thought that Chuck was buying jewelry for someone else. Her eyes narrowed, "Who are you getting jewelry for?"

Averting his eyes, he answered, "I need to get something for Blair."

Evelyn perked up instantly at the name she had heard far too little. "Can I help?" She clasped her hands together pleadingly. "Please, Daddy?"

He smiled down at her, a bit sadly. "Sure, baby."

Arthur came around the side and opened the door. Chuck stepped out first, pausing to button his coat, before he turned around and extended a hand to Evelyn, who sat in the car patiently. She smiled brilliantly as she placed a small hand in his and hopped out of the car. Hand in hand, they walked towards the large Harry Winston building.

Inside, an attendant caught sight of Chuck and instantly hurried towards him. "Mr. Bass," he said breathlessly. "It's a pleasure." Seeming to catch his composure, he straightened up, "Mr. Winston has set aside some pieces for you to look at in the private showroom."

"Thank you," Chuck said simply, surveying the room, a bit disinterestedly.

"Right," the attendant murmured, looking a bit put off at the lack of information. "This way, sir."

He led them into a small room with a few glass cases with rows of jewelry, a vague assembly to disguise to true nature of his visit, but rings were the centerpiece. "That will be all," Chuck tossed over his shoulder, waiting until the door was shut before he walked towards the glass case.

"What are you looking for?" Evelyn whispered.

He turned towards her curiously, "Why are you whispering?"

She shrugged, "It feels weird."

He laughed shortly, scooping her up into his arms. They both bent over the case. "I'm looking for a ring for Blair," he explained shortly.

"Like an engagement ring?" Evelyn squealed.

He raised an eyebrow, "Who told you?"

"I heard Auntie Serena talking about them, and I asked her what it meant." Evelyn said simply, not even looking away from the case. She pointed at the one of the rings, "What about this one?"

It was a large oval diamond ring surrounded by a cluster of little diamonds. It was nice, of course, but looked like Serena's ring, and he instantly moved away. "I don't think so."

And it went on for a while. Evelyn would point out a ring, Chuck would refuse, Chuck would offer another suggestion, and Evelyn would crinkle her nose in disgust.

"No yellow diamonds," Evelyn crowed, "They look gross." She narrowed her eyes on a particular ring that they had overlooked. "Daddy," she breathed out in awe, "This is one is so pretty. Can we please get it?" She looked at him with wide eyes and a pout that he knew he couldn't refuse.

Preparing for the worst, he turned towards the ring. It was simple almost; a cushion cut diamond in a tapered baguette setting. The truth was he knew very little about Blair, and her taste, but something about this ring just felt right. She appeared to have classic taste, unlike Serena's more outlandish taste; something told him she would like this ring.

"It's perfect, Evie," he smiled gratefully down at his daughter. "Now for being such a great helper," he moved towards the rest of the cases, "why don't you pick out a charm for your charm bracelet?"

She paused thoughtfully in front of the case for a moment, before she pointed to a charm of an engagement ring. "Can I get that, Daddy? For you and Blair?"

Chuck closed his eyes momentarily, "Of course, Evie."

The pieces they picked out were packaged away, the ring gave the attendant a pause until Evelyn leaned forward, "Isn't is pretty?" She asked him, batting her eyelashes at him. "My Daddy got it because I loved it so much."

Chuck simply shrugged.

The attendant smiled weakly before he handed Chuck the boxes. "Here you go, Mr. Bass."

"Thanks," Chuck said simply, ushering Evelyn out of the store.

When they got back into the Limo, Evelyn turned towards him. "Are you going to give the ring to Blair right now?" She was bouncing in her seat as she asked.

"Not right now," he drawled, looking out the window. "Later." He had planned to shove the ring on her finger right before they were photographed. After their last few encounters, he had decided it was probably best to keep their interaction a minimum.

"Why?" Evelyn whined. "I want to give it to her right now. Daddy, can we please go give it to her?"

"I'm sure Blair is busy," he said distractedly.

"How do you know?" Evelyn demanded. "Call her, please."

"Evie," he sighed, he had been almost hiding Evelyn from Blair, but they had to meet eventually, right? "You really want to see her with that ring, huh?"

"I picked it out," she explained, settling back in her seat looking much too satisfied.

Rolling his eyes, he dialed Blair's number, all the while hoping she wouldn't pick up the phone. The phone rang once, then twice, then thrice, and his heart picked up. He was relieved, of course, she wasn't picking up, that was supposed to be good. But he was also disappointed. There had been a small part of him, that became more pronounced the longer the phone rang, that actually wanted to see her.

"Hello," her breathless voice echoed over the line, catching him off guard. He remained quiet for a moment, unsure how to greet her. There was a shuffling noise, and then her voice came back on the line, this time more venomous, "Bass, what do you want?"

He restrained himself, catching sight of Evelyn. She wouldn't understand their banter, and it would probably make her upset. "I've got something for you," he said gruffly, hating their change in dynamic. "Evelyn and I are bringing it over."

"Evelyn," her voice became strangled. "Like your daughter, Evelyn? Chuck, are you sure this a good idea?"

He wasn't, but he couldn't admit that when his daughter was staring at him with large hopeful eyes. "We'll be there in fifteen minutes." And he snapped the phone shut.

* * *

><p>She sat frozen long after Chuck hung up the phone.<p>

She had rushed towards her phone when it rang and picked it up without a thought. She had naively thought that Chuck would avoid her after the Georgina encounter and it was only after she pulled the phone away to look at caller ID and saw Chuck Bass, did she realize that her day was about to be turned upside down.

It wasn't the fact that he was coming over; it was the fact that he was bringing his little impressionable daughter. This would be their first time acting as a couple, and it made her sick to her stomach. When Chuck had insisted that she keep away from his daughter, she had almost expected him to keep them far away from each other. The fact that they would actually be meeting made her nervous. She suddenly wanted this girl's approval. For all she knew, Evelyn could be another UES brat, but she would still want her to like her.

She shook her head furiously, diminishing that thought. It didn't matter if Evelyn liked Blair, just that she liked her more than Georgina. She wasn't cut out to be a mother anyway, especially not to Chuck Bass' child.

"Ms. Blair," the maid's voice trilled up the stairs, "you have visitors."

"Just a moment," she called back.

Glancing in the mirror, she smoothed down her dress, fluffed her hair, and gave herself a once over. "You can do this," she coached herself under her breath.

Inhaling deeply, she started down the stairs. She kept her back stiff and her face rigid as Chuck and a little girl, Evelyn, came into view. Chuck looked as stiff as her, he was sitting on the edge of her couch, looking like a caged animal about to bolt at the first sight of escape.

But Blair's eyes focused on Evelyn. At first glance, Blair was relieved to find out that the girl didn't look like Georgina. In fact, she looked like Chuck. Long brown hair cascaded over her shoulders, and she looked around the room with dark brown eyes that radiated excitement. She kept bouncing up and down in her seat, shooting Chuck the occasional curious glance. She looked up at Blair at the sound of her approaching them. She stood up suddenly and marched towards Blair with a large smile on her face. "Evelyn Lillian Bass," she said, sticking out her hand for Blair to shake.

Blair hesitated for a moment at the girl's forwardness. "Blair Cornelia Waldorf," she introduced herself, shaking the little girl's hand. "It's a pleasure," she added.

Blair didn't think it was possible for the girl's smile to get any wider, but it did. "My daddy said you guys are getting married," she said starting to bounce up and down on the balls of her feet. And before Blair could respond, she continued quickly, "Can I be in the wedding? Please?"

Stunned, Blair shot a panicked glance at Chuck, who looked frozen with shock.

"When Grandma Lily and Grandpa Bart renewed," Evelyn stumbled over the word, "their vows, I got to be the flower girl. And Auntie S said I could be the flower girl when she marries Uncle Natie, so can I be the flower girl at my Daddy's wedding too?" She batted her eyelashes at Blair.

Because Chuck seemed useless, Blair quickly gathered her wits and bent down to Evelyn's level. "Of course you can be the flower girl, Evelyn. I was going to ask you myself, until you beat me to the punch."

In all truth, she hadn't even thought about it.

"There's punch? Where?" Evelyn looked around confused, while Blair resisted the urge to laugh at her innocence.

"It's an expression, baby," Chuck said finally, his voice low. "It means you said what Blair was thinking before Blair could say it."

"Oh," Evelyn cast her eyes downward, flushing a bit, "I'm sorry."

"No, no," Blair assured her, "It's fine. I'm glad you want to be in the wedding."

"I do, I do," Evelyn urged. "Do I get to wear a pretty dress?"

"Of course," Blair said with a large smile. "Maybe," she teased, "if you're lucky, my mom will make one especially for you."

"Really?" Evelyn gasped. "My own special dress?" She shot an ecstatic look at Chuck who grimaced back. "That's so cool."

Blair smiled, "Of course. You're going to be her granddaughter after all."

It was only after she said that, and she heard Chuck inhale sharply and saw Evelyn's eyebrow quirk in confusion, did she realize the implications of what she had said.

"That is," she stuttered, "I meant to say—."

"I'm going to have a new grandma?" Thankfully she turned to Chuck for clarification.

Chuck shot Blair a dirty look over Evelyn's head. "Evie," he turned back to his daughter. "When Blair and I get married, it means," he trailed off for a moment. "It means," he cleared his throat, "that Blair's family becomes my family, and my family becomes her."

"I don't understand," Evelyn said, cocking her head to the side.

"Well," he said, "let's take your Grandpa Bart, for example. He's my father." Evelyn nodded. "When Blair and I get married, Grandpa will become like a father to Blair." Blair winced at that; she didn't think that Bart Bass was all that fatherly. "And in reverse, because Blair will be like a daughter to Grandpa. Do you understand?"

"I think so," Evelyn said slowly. "So when you guys get married, does that mean that because you are my Daddy, Blair's going to be my Mommy?"

Chuck grew so pale, Blair interjected before he fainted. "Not if you don't want that." She said quickly, "It's a big deal, Evelyn, and you don't have to say it just because I marry your father. You can just call me Blair, okay?"

Evelyn looked unsure for a moment, "Okay." Chuck let out a deep breath. "What about your Mommy and Daddy?" She directed at Blair.

"They'll be your grandparents as well if you want," Blair said hurried out.

"Yes," Evelyn rushed out. "Can I meet them?"

"Soon," Blair said with a tempered smile. "There's a lot of them, you might get a little confused."

"That's okay, Dorota says I'm super fast at," she trailed off, her brows furrowed in thought.

"Learning, Evie," Chuck jumped in immediately.

"Thank you, Daddy," Evelyn shot Chuck a grateful look. "Dorota says I'm super fast at learning."

"Okay," Chuck said, standing up, "we should get going." He placed both hands on Evelyn's shoulders, ready to steer her out of Blair's apartment if necessary.

"But Daddy," Evelyn whined, "We haven't even given Blair our present yet."

Blair raised an eyebrow towards Chuck; she had thought the present guise had been a ruse.

Chuck averted his eyes, until Evelyn tugged on his pant leg insistently. "Where is it?" He slowly dug into his pocket and pulled out a black box. Evelyn grabbed it out of his hand and shoved it towards Blair. "Open it," she urged.

It was Harry Winston, Blair would have recognized the box anywhere. Her breath quickened and her heart started to pound. He had smirked when she had told him of her ringless predicament, and she had thought he was joking when he said he would take care of it. She didn't think he would shell out for a Harry Winston ring. Even though, she thought as she eyed his outfit, he looked like a man with good taste. She fingered the box for a moment, until Evelyn gave a huff of impatience. She slowly cracked open the box to stare a perfect, simple, and very large diamond ring.

"I pieked it out," Evelyn said happily. When Chuck cleared his throat, she amended, "Daddy helped. I got a charm for my charm bracelet." She held up the dangly bracelet right in front of Blair's face. "It looks just like your ring, right?"

"Yeah," Blair swallowed thickly. "Thank you, Evelyn, this ring is perfect." She looked over at Chuck who was staring at her strangely. She snapped the box shut.

"Aren't you going to wear?" Evelyn cocked her head in confusion.

"Oh, um," Blair stuttered. "I will. Later."

"Auntie S says you never need an excuse to wear good jewelry, especially if a boy buys it for you." Evelyn smirked at Blair, looking remarkably like Chuck in that moment. "Daddy," she ordered Chuck, "help Blair with her ring."

"Evie," Chuck said carefully. "I'm sure Blair can put the ring on herself."

"But it's more romantic if you do it." Evelyn whined.

"Who taught you that word?" Chuck almost growled, suddenly looking sullen.

"Auntie S," Evelyn remarked nonchalantly. "Now help Blair."

She continued to stare down Chuck until he slowly moved towards Blair with a grimace, murmuring about Serena under his breath. He carefully plucked the box from her white hands and pulled the ring out. He grabbed her hand and biting his lip, he slide the ring onto her hand. When he dropped her hand suddenly, she let out a breath she hadn't know she was holding. "Thanks," she mumbled under her breath, admiring the ring. It really was gorgeous. Probably the most gorgeous thing she had ever seen. Even Louis' ring barely held a candle to this one.

"Can we go now?" Chuck turned towards Evelyn with an irritated expression.

Evelyn huffed, "Fine," she whined. She shot Blair a shy look. "It was really nice to meet you."

Blair felt her face soften, "You, too."

Chuck's face stiffened, his hands clasped around Evelyn's shoulders. "Let's go, Evie," he said more tensely.

Evelyn watched Blair as she let Chuck steer her out of the Waldorf apartment. Before the elevator closed on both of them, Evelyn shouted, "Bye," enthusiastically through the crack in the doors.

Her body slackened a bit. Seeing Evelyn had complicated things in a way she hadn't expected it to. The little girl didn't seem to just like her, she seemed to already adore her. Chuck's daughter was adorable, and if she was being honest with herself, there was a part of Blair that was already attached to her.

She shook her head. It was a business deal. That was all it was.

* * *

><p>He had fully intended to keep his meetings with Blair strictly business following her meeting with Evelyn. It had sort of frightened him how quickly Evelyn took to Blair, and he practically had to drag her out of the Waldorf apartment to get her away from Blair.<p>

However, Evelyn was not on the same page.

Whenever she was around him, she pestered him constantly about seeing Blair again. And the worst part, her reasoning made sense. Evelyn had argued that she deserved to get to know Blair, as she was going to marry her father. And Chuck was almost proud of how thought out his daughter's argument was.

When Chuck wasn't around, she had taken to talking to anyone and everyone about Blair. She knew very little about Blair, but she still managed to exaggerate into multiple conversations.

Shamefully he had taken to coming home late, it wasn't completely abnormal behavior for him, so no one questioned it. Except, of course, Dorota.

"You are late," Dorota commented as he walked through the doors.

"Meeting ran long," he said absently. Truthfully, he had camped out in his office with a pile of paperwork, avoiding Evelyn's bedtime by an hour, effectively not giving her the chance to pester him with more questions about Blair. "Is she asleep?"

"You know, Mr. Chuck," Dorota frowned in disappointment.

For a moment, shame overcame him. "I'm sorry I kept you late, Dorota."

"Mr. Chuck," Dorota reprimanded, "you know that is not problem."

He cleared his throat awkwardly. "I just couldn't face her questions about Blair," he trailed off, shifting uncomfortably under her piercing gaze. "Do you think it's normal? How much she asks about Blair?" He clarified.

Dorota's face softened. "It is," she assured him, "She is just curious about new Mother."

He winced. "Blair is not her new Mother."

Dorota quirked an eyebrow, "She is to Miss. Evie."

He pinched the bridge of his nose in irritation. "I just don't know what to do. I can't keep her away from Blair, but if I don't, she'll just hurt when Blair leaves."

"You not know that, Mr. Chuck," Dorota said.

"That she is going to hurt or that Blair is going to leave?" He asked. "I know both for sure. Blair won't stay married to me for Evelyn. And Evie," he sighed, "she's always loved easily."

Dorota softened a bit, "Because she is always loved." She straightened her back and shook her head, "I think you wrong about Ms. Blair. She not seem like type to leave."

"Blair," he snorted, "She'll run out of here the moment she's free. I'm sure Bart and Eleanor negotiated some sort of deal, and it's in the deal she negotiated with me."

She didn't look convinced. Dorota pursed her lips in distaste. "If you say so, Mr. Chuck." She picked up her bag and coat. "I see you tomorrow," she said walking towards the elevator. She paused in front of the open elevator, and looked back at Chuck with a bright smile. "It will all be okay, I know it."

He laughed shortly. "You're sure?" He asked, feeling like a little child.

Dorota's smile grew. "I know, because I am proud of you, and you will do the right thing for Miss. Evie."

Chuck felt himself grow warm under her praise.

"Goodnight, Mr. Chuck."

"Goodnight, Dorota."

* * *

><p>She had assumed that he would be avoiding her until the wedding.<p>

Their last meeting had caught him off guard, and appearances or not, she had thought he'd be avoiding her until she walked down the aisle towards him.

So it was her that got caught off guard when he requested her presence for coffee a few days later.

He texted her when he was downstairs, and moments later she slide into his limo. He eyed her up and down with a smirk. She suddenly felt self conscious in her blue spaghetti strap top and skirt ensemble. He had said casual, but Blair Waldorf didn't do casual without class.

"We match," he remarked, pointing her to pink clutch and his pink bowtie. She noticed that he wasn't very casual either, a suit and a bowtie, he was even wearing white shoes. She stifled a laugh. The entire outfit should be ridiculous, but somehow, she mused, he actually pulled it off.

"Hm," she remarked. "Where are we doing this?"

"Tut tut, dear." He teased. "Don't be all business on our first date."

She marveled at him for a moment. He was so different from the last time. Normally around her, he was all smirks and leers. Around Bart he was stiff and composed, with a touch of irritation. But around Evelyn, he was something else entirely. He was lighthearted, he was composed, he was gentle, he was protective, he was smirks and he was smiles. He was a father. And she hadn't even believed he had it in him.

"What?" He remarked, shifting uncomfortably in front of her.

"Nothing," she shook her head. It didn't matter, she assured herself; focus on the task at hand. "I just want to be prepared for what is to come."

Chuck shrugged. "We'll get coffee, the paparazzi will be waiting outside to take a few pictures of us, we put on a good show, and then I'll drop you back home."

The partition lowered. "We're here, sir." Chuck's driver remarked.

"Thank you, Arthur." Chuck replied. He swung the door open and stepped out of the Limo.

"Starbucks?" Blair pursed her lips in disappointment, how pedestrian.

Chuck looked back at her and cocked his eyebrow in challenge.

Never one to back down from a challenge, Blair took his offered hand and daintily stepped out of the limo to a series of flashes. She immediately pasted on a serene smile, a reflex from her time with Louis. Chuck drew her close to him, wrapping his arm around her waist. Blair leaned in to him. "I thought the pictures were after coffee," she hissed tensely into his ear.

"I lied," Chuck grinned back at her. He tugged her even closer, and before she could anticipate it, he swooped down and kissed her. The flashes beside them exploded in a frenzy to get the best picture of Chuck Bass lip locked with his new mysterious fiancée.

She struggled to remain in the present. His lips were overtaking all her senses and all she could focus on was him.

He pulled away, a smirk already playing on his lips. She tried to school her breathless surprised expression, into one of happiness. He was an asshole, she reminded herself furiously. She would not let him have the pleasure of knowing that she actually enjoyed that.

He tugged her through the crowd of cameras and cell phones into Starbucks. She watched the crowd as they passed. "Chuck," she hissed when they were inside. "Half that crowd was little girls."

"So?" He didn't even look at her, focused solely on the menu.

"Since when does Page Six hire pre-teens to take pictures with their camera phones for them?" She asked incredulously.

Chuck smirked, "They're not taking pictures for Page Six, they're taking pictures for Gossip Girl."

"Gossip Girl?" Blair's face contorted. "Is that one of those low rate magazines they sell in drugstores?"

"No," he shook his head. "It's this online site, it was established when we were in high school and has been growing ever since. Her main focus has always been Serena, and inevitably whom Serena is around," he pointed to himself. "If we want the masses to believe us," he explained, "she's whom we need to convince first."

Chuck's phone buzzed. He smirked, "Right on time."

He slide the phone over to Blair.

_Spotted: Our favorite UES bad boy finally ready to settle down and tie the knot? Don't believe me? I don't blame you. We all know a picture speaks a thousand words, what does this picture of C tongue tied with a stranger wearing a pretty ring say? XOXO _

Accompanying the blast was a picture of them kissing outside the Starbucks moments earlier. "She's fast," Blair remarked, sliding the phone back to Chuck.

"Her network covers most of Manhattan, at least the entire Upper East Side," he said, pocketing his phone. "Everyone should know by the evening." He turned back towards the menu. "Now, coffee?"

After they had ordered and received their coffee, they slipped back into the limo, silence overtaking them. There was a part of her that wanted him to speak up, even if it was to tease her or make some smarmy comment. But he was staring out the window with a stony expression.

She opened her mouth to speak a few times, even managed a simple question, but he responded shortly or simply ignored her.

When Arthur pulled up in front of her building, she stared at him for a long moment. "I'll see you later?" She asked awkwardly. She winced at her tone.

"Yes," he settled back in his chair, still avoiding her gaze.

There was a series of questions on the tip of her tongue. Were they going to have a honeymoon? If so, where? Was she moving in with him after the wedding? Should she pack her things? But he was barely even looking at her, and the questions died on the tip of her tongue.

She slide out of the limo. "Goodbye," she huffed out in irritation, slamming the door just a little bit hard, hoping that he jolted him out of his musings.

She hoped he jumped just a little bit. He deserved that.

_Tbd._

**So what do you all think? Did you like Evie and Blair's first meeting? Did you like how she got the HW ring? It's the same as the show, if you were wondering. And kudos to the person/people who figures out which outfit Chuck and Blair were wearing during the coffee date, it's an outfit from the show. **

**Anyway, hope you enjoyed chapter! Please favorite and review if you enjoyed and as always, follow if you want to see more, because there's definitely more to come!**


	7. Chapter 7

**It's Thursday again, so that means another chapter. For some of you that's excitement, for me it's losing another chapter, just kidding! Well I'm excited because it means a new episode (THE HOPEFULLY BEST EPISODE) of Emma Approved, but enough about my dorkyness.**

**Thanks for the great response on the previous chapter. I've passed the 100 review point, which is kind of amazing. For those of you who guessed correctly, congrats, C and B's outfits were from the scene where C bought the Empire, the 'because you believe in me' scene. Thank you for the reviews, the reviews that have been mentioning that they haven't read GG fanfiction in awhile until this story have been super flattering, thank you so much, I can't say that enough. **

**I think the only concern to address about last week's chapter was the kiss. While mostly everyone was thrilled that they kissed, a few people were surprised by Blair's lack of reaction to the kiss. In my defense, I feel like B was really thrown off by it. I also think it affected Chuck more than it did Blair, just like their first time affected C a bit more than B. **

**Sidenote, this chapter was such a pain in the butt to upload because ff was acting up. Sigh, the things I go through for you guys, just kidding, again!**

**Anyway, I hope this chapter more than makes up for that, if you felt that way. I'll stop blabbing and let you read. Allons-y!**

* * *

><p>Despite their agreement that he would stay out of the wedding planning, Blair continued to send him biweekly updates of the wedding planning. He supposed it was her way of continuing to remind him that they were getting married.<p>

He had stayed out of it, as she requested. And he initially been ignoring the updates, until he realized that they came with questions for him, and when he didn't send his responses back to her, she had sent Serena to him.

"Blair's been planning this entire wedding," Serena had stared him down, her foot tapping angrily, "the least you could do is help."

"But she doesn't want my help," he protested, a bit weakly, leaning back in his chair.

"Obviously, that's not true," Serena rolled her eyes, "Now," she pointed to the stack of wedding planning. "Read them."

He knew he was being selfish in ignoring Blair, not that he had ever cared before. But under Serena's heavy gaze, he nodded quickly and promised to call Blair back.

In some ways he had been avoiding the updates as a way of avoiding Blair after their kiss. It had been easy to pretend in front of the cameras that their kiss hadn't affected him, but later, when he was alone in the limo with her, it was all he could do not to drag her towards him and continue the kiss.

Kissing her had surprised him. There was something about her that he just couldn't explain, something about her that kept him wanting more. It wasn't healthy, especially considering their situation.

So he kept his distance from her, trying to school himself into the belief that he didn't _like_ her. He didn't, he assured himself, picking up the updates.

She had booked the Conservatory Garden for the wedding, and he was slightly grateful she hadn't insisted on a Church wedding. The invite list was small, relatively speaking. Mostly family and friends, but there was a few names that he knew her mother or his father had added. He was surprised to see that Serena was her maid of honor, but he supposed it went with Nate being his best man. Evelyn was the flower girl.

The one thing he had argued with was the color scheme.

"I thought we agreed on purple and cream," he had snarled over the phone as soon as she picked up.

"I went with a different route," she said entirely too casual. "It didn't go with my dress."

"Then pick a different dress," he demanded.

"I will not," she huffed. "I didn't get to pick my dress last time, that certainly won't happen this time." She inhaled deeply. "Didn't you get the swatch I sent over?"

He fingered the tiny scrap of cloth, ice blue with flowers and pearls. "I did," he gave a short laugh. "Ice blue?"

"I liked the design," she defended.

"I guess there's no point in trying to fool anyone into believing that you're a virginal bride," he spat out.

Blair huffed in indignation. "Take that back." She ordered immediately.

"Fine," he said suddenly, an idea coming to him. "You can wear the dress."

"What?" She asked, caught off guard. "Bass, I was never not asking for your permission."

He ignored that. "If you're wearing that dress, then I'm wearing white." He fingered the cloth, leaning back in his chair.

"What?" She asked, the anger leaving her voice, leaving it dead pan.

"I'll be wearing a white tux." He explained, his voice sounded entirely too satisfied. "And an ice blue bowtie, I suppose, to match your dress."

She sputtered for a few moments, unsure of what to say.

"Pleasure talking to you, as always, Blair." He laughed out, before hanging up the phone.

* * *

><p>"I have a surprise for you," Serena skipped into Blair's room, stopping in the doorway of the room. "What's going on?"<p>

Blair looked up from her curled up position under the duvet. "I'm relaxing," she sniffled a bit. "I'm going to watch _Breakfast at Tiffany's_," she said pointing to her nearby laptop, "and I'll go to bed soon."

"But that's so boring," Serena huffed out, jumping on Blair's bed. "Come on Blair, it's the night before your wedding."

"Yes, S," Blair nodded along mockingly at Serena's exuberance. "It's the night before my wedding, so I have to get as much rest as I can, so I don't have enormous bags under my eyes. I will not look like a raccoon on my special day."

"Rest is for the weak," Serena proclaimed. "And you've always been anything but weak, B. Come on," she pulled Blair back and forth. "We're going out. No excuses," she snapped before Blair could protest. "I've got the perfect dress for you."

Blair eyed the garment bag holding the supposed dress. "If I want to come home, we will?" She verified.

"Sure," Serena rolled her eyes. "But you won't."

Grabbing the bag, she stepped into the bathroom to change. When she came out, she was in a form fitting black dress with a put off expression. "You got the wrong size." She said flatly.

Serena squealed happily, clapping her hands. "That looks fantastic on you, it's the perfect size."

"Serena," Blair said through gritted teeth, "I look like a prostitute."

"I'd say high class escort, which is what we're going for." Serena said absently, tugging on Blair's arm. "Now come on, it's time for your Bachelorette party."

"What?" Blair gasped pulling out of Serena's grasp.

"I know you said no bachelorette party, but Nate was going on and on about how great Chuck's bachelor party was going to be," Serena said quickly, attempting to cover up her mistake, "and I really just needed to show him up, so please, humor me." She clasped onto Blair's hand tighter and tugged her out of the room, finally.

They rode down the elevator in silence as Blair tried to formulate the right response. They slide into the town car parked outside.

"I really don't think this is a good idea. I don't need a Bachelorette party." Blair tried pleading with Serena again, as they rode down the streets in a town car. Blair tugged on her short black dress, trying to pull it down to a respectable length.

"Blair," Serena rolled her eyes for the fifth time, "it's not what you need, it's what you want."

"I don't want one either," she huffed before turning to look out the window.

"You may not now," Serena teased, poking Blair a little. "But you will when you see what I have planned for you." Serena glanced out the window and gave an excited shriek. "We're here," she trilled, jumping out the door.

Blair slide out behind her apprehensively, looking up at the building in front of them. She eyed the place critically, "Victrola? Is this some sort of club?"

Serena shot her a teasing smile. "Sort of. Now, come on."

* * *

><p>"Man," Nate said slapping Chuck hard on the back. Chuck winced as the slap radiated throughout his back. "You're supposed to be enjoying yourself, this is your Bachelor party, and," he eyed one of the dancers as they walked past him, "it's awesome. Instead you're parked out by the bar, and you're not even getting drunk."<p>

"A bachelor party implies that one is celebrating the end of single life, my wedding is simply a hiatus," Chuck said simply, taking a sip of his scotch.

Nate rolled his eyes. "Come on man, it's no fun if you're all moody in the corner. You're special surprise should be here soon."

Chuck simply raised an eyebrow. Nate had been going on and on about a special surprise all evening, and at this rate, all Chuck hoped for was a stripper popping out of a cake.

Nate checked his phone, smiling widely at whatever was on there. Chuck hoped suddenly it wasn't a picture of his step-sister. "In fact, she's here now."

Despite himself, Chuck looked towards the door curiously. Serena walked in first, he felt himself sag a bit in disappointment. Serena wasn't a good surprise, and he turned around to tell Nate so, when Nate tugged on his shoulder, "Look man, she's here."

He spun around to see Blair walking in looking apprehensive. She was wearing a tight black dress, and he felt himself grow a bit dry mouthed at the sight. "What do you think?" Nate tugged on the corner of his jacket again, Chuck was sure it was permanently wrinkled at this point. "It's a joint Bachelor/Bachelorette party."

What did he think? He turned on Nate angrily, about to give him a piece of his mind when he felt a clap on his shoulder and turned around to see Eric standing beside him with a pleasant smile. "Be careful, Chuck," he said quietly, "Nate and Serena invited everyone we know."

"Did you know about this?" Chuck felt himself loosen up at the sight of his old high school friends walking by. He couldn't make a scene, not here, where everyone could see.

"Not until it was too late to stop it." Eric said, holding up his hands in surrender.

Chuck inhaled deeply; he pasted on a large fake smile, and glared at Nate. "I'm going to go greet my future wife."

As he walked away, he heard Nate ask Eric, "Did I do something wrong?"

* * *

><p>Blair's stomach swirled as Serena looked at her in anticipation. "So, what do you think?"<p>

She eyed a few of Serena's friends standing a few feet away from them, and she schooled her expression. "I think it's a great idea," she enthused as realistically as she could manage. "Where's Chuck?"

Serena clapped excitedly. "He's around here, somewhere," Serena said waving her hands, "Who cares? Let's go do some shots!"

"Alcohol before me," Chuck's silky smooth voice interjected, and Blair felt herself relax a bit at his presence. "I'm hurt, Sis."

"Chuck," Serena squealed, launching herself into Chuck's arms.

Chuck caught Serena, but pulled back a little instantly, "Started the party a little early, S?"

"I just had a few glasses of champagne to calm my nerves," Serena squinted at him. "I was worried you wouldn't like the party."

"The party's fine, Serena," Chuck smiled exasperated. "Now why don't you go find Nathaniel and give me some alone time with Blair."

"Of course," Serena said with an obvious wink towards Blair. "Don't do anything I wouldn't do," she sung as she walked away.

"What's going on?" Blair turned on Chuck the moment that Serena was out of earshot.

"Hold on," he hissed at her, slipping his arms around her waist, maneuvering her to a dark corner where they wouldn't be overheard.

She waited for a moment patiently, until he stopped shuffling. When he stood still in front of her, she slapped his chest.

"Ow," he snapped, rubbing his chest. "What the hell was that for?"

"Because you didn't answer my question," she explained simply, crossing her arms over her chest. "What's going on?"

"Didn't Serena tell you?" He mocked Serena's high pitch girly squeal. "It's a joint Bachelor/Bachelorette party."

"I didn't even want a Bachelorette party," Blair huffed out irritated.

"I'm sure they were trying to be helpful in their own way." Chuck shrugged. "But there's no point in blaming the blondes any further. What's done is done. Now we have to do damage control."

"You don't think they've planned," Blair sneered, "games."

"Knowing Serena," Chuck exhaled, "I think that's a given."

"Oh god," Blair slapped her forehead.

"Focus Waldorf," he said grabbing both of her hands, tugging her towards him. "Look we'll deal with it, okay? It'll be fine."

She felt breathless as he stared at her intently. For a moment, she was grateful that he was in this with her. She didn't think that she could handle it with anyone else.

She felt warm under his gaze. Her eyes drifted to his lips absently and all that effort she put into not thinking about their kiss was gone out the window. She forced herself not lean towards him, no matter how much she wanted to feel him up against her.

"Okay," she inhaled deeply, trying to clear her head, "what are we going to do?"

He smiled widely at her, holding out the crook of his elbow towards her. "I'll introduce you to everyone we know, and as soon as we've made one round through the party, before the games, we'll excuse ourselves. We have to be up early tomorrow, after all."

It was simplistic, and there was room for trouble courtesy of Nate and Serena, but it could work, or at least she assumed it would work by his confident smirk. "Fine," she nodded, placing her hand in his elbow. "Lead the way."

* * *

><p>Fifty handshakes, twenty hugs, and three glasses of scotch later, they were nowhere near leaving.<p>

"Blair," Serena slurred, now completely drunk, "Come meet my good friend Poppy. Poppy," Serena almost shrieked, "this is Blair, my new best friend."

Thankfully, Poppy was just as drunk, and hadn't noticed her demotion from best friend to good friend. Blair, however, did.

"Blair Waldorf," she said sticking out her left hand with the ring and a proud smile.

Chuck smirked slightly as Poppy struggled for a moment, trying to figure out with hand to stick out in reciprocation. "Nice to meet you Blair," she slurred back.

With every introduction, Blair grew more and more confident. There was a sparkle in her eyes that he had never noticed, and he was starting to enjoy it, even letting her take the lead with some of Serena's friends. She handled herself well, and it was something that he had admired.

"Now it's time for games," Serena shrieked, clapping her hands. She looked towards Nate who was holding a set of index cards looking equally as excited.

"We'll pass," Chuck interjected immediately, standing up to slip a hand around Blair's waist. She turned into his embrace a bit. His hand curled around her. Steady, he reminded himself, don't push it.

"Chuck," Serena whined, "don't be a party pooper."

"Yeah, Chuck," Nate mumbled, stumbling up behind Serena, fumbling with the cards in his hands. "This is where the real fun begins."

"Nathaniel, you've said that at least five times tonight." Chuck said monotonously. "We're just going to sit down over there for a bit." He pointed to a couch right in front of the stage.

"We'll watch," Blair offered immediately at Serena's pout.

"But it's not the same," Serena whined. She sighed dramatically. "Fine, go sit down and be boring. Natie and I will have fun for the both of you."

"Thanks, Sis," Chuck said quickly, maneuvering Blair towards the couch before Serena could change her mind. He handed her a glass of champagne as they sat down.

"Thanks," she said softly, leaning forward on her knees to watch the girls on the stage dance. "This is your place?"

He raised an eyebrow at her curiously, "How'd you know?"

"It seems like your type of place," she said nonchalantly looking around. He continued to stare at her for a moment longer, before she cracked. "Okay, I saw the manager come up and ask you a few questions about staffing, I figured you have to own the place."

He leaned back into the couch, smirking. "It was my first business investment, when I was 16."

"Really?" She turned back to face him.

"Yeah," his eyes glazed over, "I made a business proposal and presented it to Bart. He thought this place was just another reason for me to booze my way through life. I bought it anyway." He shrugged. "He saw the way this place grew and how much time I put in it, and he began to trust me more. Until Evie, of course."

Blair listened silently, perking up a bit at Evelyn's name. "What happened?" She asked cautiously, knowing that she was treading on dangerous ground.

"I slept with Georgina Sparks and I knocked her up. It happened the night after Bart rejected my Victrola proposal, before I thought to buy the place myself, and I was just," he trailed off, "I was pissed at my father and I made a really stupid decision." He paused for a moment, shaking his head at the memory. "I regretted it immediately. So when the opportunity to toss her out of Manhattan presented it self, I took it. That's when she told me she was pregnant." He struggled for a moment, "She wanted money," he said slowly, "to get rid of the baby. But I couldn't let her, I just," he trailed off, looking away from the stage. "I made her keep the baby, I promised to pay her off, as soon as she had the baby." He gave a short bitter laugh. "Bart never trusted me after that."

"You didn't do anything wrong," Blair interjected quickly, feeling for him. She knew how it was to have an eternally disappointed parent.

"I know." He looked at her shortly. "I may regret sleeping with Georgina, but I would never regret Evelyn. Ironically, I think that's the only redeeming thing about me, at least in my father's eyes."

"It's not," she said quickly, looking away. She could feel Chuck's gaze on her.

He cleared his throat, waiting until her attention was back on him. "Are you okay?"

"Fine," she said slowly, a bit unsurely. "It's just," she trailed off, "I know what it's like to have a parent feel constantly disappointed in you."

"Eleanor?" He mused, twirling around his glass of scotch.

"I was never good enough for her. I was never skinny enough, or pretty enough, or smart enough," Blair mused quietly. She clammed up, unsure whether it was the champagne speaking. Chuck's gaze was friendly, almost as if he was inviting her to say more. "It was a blessing when my Daddy took me to Paris with him. It meant I only had to see her during summers. But her disappointment in me it was never more than when I married Louis."

He perked up a bit at that, he knew the story, but hearing it from her was another thing. "Not when you divorced him?"

"I got married to Louis when I was young," she said vaguely. "I thought I was so in love with him, because he seemed to love me unconditionally. Mother never really approved of him. I thought it was because she thought I wasn't good enough for him." Blair laughed bitterly, "She thought he wasn't good enough for me, that he wouldn't stand by me through anything." She sighed, "It was our worst fight."

Unconsciously, Chuck reached out to her, placing a tentative hand over her trembling hands. She stared at him surprised for a moment, but she didn't remove her hands from under his.

Blair frowned, "I always knew she was wrong about the way she saw me, so I thought she was wrong about the way she saw Louis. But I was the one that was wrong." She inhaled deeply, "Some rumors cropped up early into our marriage, and he instantly turned on me. He slandered my name in the press, said I was a lot of nasty things. I didn't know what to do, so I stood by his side, no matter what he did. Until he brought up the dowry."

Chuck fingered his scotch glass, "Dowry?" He questioned, "Like from back in the day?"

She looked away from him. "It was in the pre-nup. Apparently if I wanted to get divorced to Louis without his consent, I'd owe his family a lot of money, enough to bankrupt my family. You can guess what happened."

He leaned back on the couch, "I know you probably don't want to talk about it, but—?"

She stared at him strangely for a moment, before speaking, "Relief, I feel relief." And it was true. She had been devastated when it happened, she thought Louis was the love of her life, and to lose him like that, it was tragic. But she knew better know, if Louis had truly loved her, he wouldn't have done that to her. He wouldn't have put her through that.

She lifted her eyes to meet Chuck's gaze. He was staring at her intently, making her uncomfortable with the intensity of his gaze. For a split moment, she thought he might kiss her again, and she panicked. Looking around for a distraction and her eyes landed on the dancers on stage. "You know," she said conversationally, "I've got moves."

"Really?" He sat up, looking interested all of a sudden. "Then why don't you get up there?"

She laughed shortly, blowing him off. "I'm just saying, I've got moves."

"Come on," he nudged her a bit, "you're ten times hotter than any of those girls."

Her breath caught a bit, but she turned on him quickly, "I know what you're doing, Bass." She paused in thought for a moment, and frowned, "You really don't think I'd go up there?"

He smirked, leaning back into the couch, looking satisfied. "I know you won't."

She huffed for a moment, "Guard my drink." She instructed him standing up and making her way to the stage. Shaking her hips to the beat of the song, she slowly slide her headband off and coyly tossed it towards the crowd. By this time, everyone was paying attention to her on stage, and letting out whistles and catcalls. The headband landed square in Chuck's lap, and the entire establishment let out a loud yell.

She slide to the floor and back up, tracing her hands all over her legs. Chuck stared up at her like he was seeing her for the first time, a large smile on his face. She continued to dance until she saw him lift his glass towards her, as if he was accepting defeat.

Slowly, she hopped off the stage and made her way towards him, as he walked towards her, wrapping his arms around her as they met. He wrapped her up in a passionate kiss, even dipping her back a little. The place around them roared in excitement. She barely heard them as she focused on him, the feel of his lips against her. This time she responded to his kiss enthusiastically, she expected it, she reveled in it. Her hands threaded through his hair, pulling him closer towards her, until there was no room between the two of them.

It could have been days, hours, minutes; she no longer felt the passage of time. The crowd's roars faded to silence, she didn't care about them, she didn't care about anything but him.

"You were amazing up there," he breathed out as they pulled away. The catcalls broke through his Blair induced glaze and he quickly remembered himself. He turned away from the crowd to face Blair and cleared his throat a bit, "I think we have them fooled for tonight, right?"

It was as if he had poured ice cold water on her. For a second, she had forgotten herself, lost herself in him. Until he had practically slapped her back into the present. She struggled to catch her breath for a moment. "Yeah," she pulled away from him quickly, and his face fell. "I should probably get going. Big day tomorrow, after all." She plastered a fake smile on her face.

"I can give you a ride," he offered immediately, taking a step towards her.

She took a step back, she couldn't have him near her, not when her hands were still itching to pull him close. "It's okay, the groom's not supposed to see the bride before the wedding anyway, it's bad luck."

"Blair," he began slowly, knowing he said something wrong, but not entirely sure what it was.

"I'll see you tomorrow, Chuck," she said quickly, cutting him off. She smiled at him too brightly and walked away from him, right out the door.

Nate came up behind Chuck, laughing, and clapped him on the back again. "What just happened up there, man?"

He shook his head, bemused, "I have no idea."

_Tbd._

**So? Surprised that C and B had a heart to heart? This chapter wasn't supposed to happen in all honesty, I wanted this chapter to be the wedding, however, it occurred to me that maybe C and B needed to talk a bit before they got married. Especially B. If you've noticed, B hasn't come completely clean and I've hinted to you guys what those rumors that ended her marriage with Louis were, well, they'll play into the rest of the story. Also I hope that you guys were okay with me including my own version of the Victrola scene.**

**I hope you guys enjoyed the chapter, as always, please review and favorite if you enjoyed, and follow if you want to see more, because there is definitely more to come!**


	8. Chapter 8

**Here we are at Thursday, yet again! Thank you for the lovely response last chapter. I honestly thought that maybe you all didn't like it that much, because I thought that the review count was slow, I wasn't getting as many emails, but actually I got 13 reviews, which is a bit less than the last few chapters, but it's still pretty great, and if anything it made me appreciate every review more. So I whole-heartedly thank each and every one of you for reviewing, it really means so much!**

**I think this is a chapter you've all been looking forward to. It's the much-awaited wedding chapter. Not only that, but I think it's the longest chapter yet of this story. I really hope that you all enjoy this chapter. So I'll stop blabbing and let you all read. **

* * *

><p>Her first wedding morning went like this:<p>

She woke to an army of servants walking around her bedroom, opening windows, laying out clothes, and serving her breakfast. She barely lifted a finger as women rushed around her in a flurry to get her ready for the morning's proceedings. She wore Louis' mother's dress, carried a bouquet of carnations down the aisle and became a princess.

Her second wedding morning went like this:

She woke up alone.

It was three am and she was alone. She shifted uncomfortably in her bed, trying to gain a few more hours of sleep before she wasn't alone in her bed anymore. She stiffened at the thought of sharing a bed with Chuck. Knowing that sleep would no longer come to her, she sat up and walked towards her window.

The more she thought about Chuck, the more nervous she felt. She had fled out of Victrola when he had reminded her they had an audience. For a moment she had lost herself in his eyes, he had felt like something more than a business deal or a fake fiancé.

He had felt like the only real thing in the world.

It was only going to get worse after they were married.

They would have to live together. She shuddered at that thought. It would only become more difficult not to sink into the fantasy of being married.

Marriage with Louis had been a dream at first. He had been a doting husband, waiting on her every second. She knew that marriage to Chuck; even fake marriage to Chuck would be nothing like that. She still didn't even know where she was going to live after they married. With him and Evie, she supposed. But how would that work if he didn't want her around his daughter.

She sat by the window for hours until there was a small knock on her door and a muffled, "Blair."

"Come in," she called out.

Her mother shuffled into the room, her hair was tousled and there were bags under her eyes. "You're up?"

"I couldn't sleep," she replied absentmindedly.

Her mother's shoulders sagged, and she seemed weighed down by the knowledge. "I didn't want this for you, Blair. I tried to fight it."

For a moment, Blair felt pity for her mother. She tried to give her mother a reassuring smile. "It's okay, Mom." And for the first time, her words were true.

Eleanor bustled towards her and clasped her hands over Blair's firmly. "You don't have to do this, Blair. I can go tell Bart that we don't want this deal anymore. You don't have to worry about anything. I'll handle everything."

For a moment, Blair had a flash of the Eleanor before Waldorf designs had gone under, back when she had faced against Louis' Mother and said that money was no object, she would get her daughter out of a toxic marriage, even if she had to lose her company.

Blair felt a rush of shame at the reminder of what her divorce had cost her mother. "Mom," Blair said soothingly, "I can do this. I am the reason we have to do this."

Eleanor's shoulder's collapsed with relief. "Blair," her voice trailed off, as she was trying to find the words to thank Blair.

"You don't have to say it," Blair interrupted quickly. "Just help me with my hair."

Throughout the morning, people flew in and out of her room; her mother was a constant though. After a long shower and a new pair of Louboutins from her step-father, Eleanor was looking more like herself as she barked at the florist over the phone, and ordered the makeup artist at the same time.

"The dress is beautiful, my darling," her mother coos, taking another sip of champagne. She swayed a bit and then plopped on the couch. Blair plucked the glass out of her mother's hand. Her mother's smile grew a bit more venomous.

"Blair," Serena stuck her head through the door. She gasped when Blair came into view. "Oh, Blair, you look beautiful."

Blair smoothed down the Elie Saab dress. It was an unorthodox choice, but she felt like she was fooling no one by wearing white. She wasn't the virginal bride that Chuck mocked her to be. But, she thought as she appraised herself in the mirror, there was something regal about her appearance. She had slipped on a diamond-encrusted headband, a gift from her father, and it almost looked like a tiara. She was no longer a Princess, but she was still a Queen.

"Thank you," she said with a small smile towards Serena.

"Are you nervous?" Serena asked.

Blair simply shook her head. Her wedding to Louis had sent her into five nervous breakdowns; she kept feeling like something was wrong. This time, however, she felt utterly calm.

"Oh good," Serena said, relaxing a bit, she moved out of the doorway, "Because there's someone here to see you."

"Blair," Evelyn's ecstatic voice came through the doorway, before she did. "You look so beautiful."

"Evelyn," Blair's eyes widened as she crouched down to Evelyn's level, still staring straight at Serena who shifted uncomfortably. "What a surprise."

"I found Auntie S outside and I asked her to take me to you." She proclaimed with a toothy smile. "Do you like my dress?" Evelyn twirled a little in her Eleanor Waldorf original; the skirt flew out around her.

"It's beautiful," Blair sighed, absently fingering the ice blue material that matched her own. "Do you like it?"

"I love it," she crowed happily, twirling again. "Thank you Grand-mere," she directed towards Eleanor, who seemed a bit flushed.

"Grand-mere?" Blair hissed under her breath towards Eleanor, when Evelyn was sufficiently distracted by Serena asking to see her dress one more time.

"The girl was confused with what to call me," Eleanor defended. "She was already calling Lily, Grandma. I figure it was simpler this way."

Blair rolled her eyes, turning her attention back to Evelyn. "Evelyn, maybe you should go back and spend some time with your father."

Evelyn huffed, "But he's so boring. All he does is talk to Uncle Nate and make calls on his phone, which means I have to be quiet. I wanna hang out with you, Blair."

Blair looked helplessly at Serena, who simply shook her head. She glanced quickly at the clock. There was only fifteen more minutes before the ceremony began. What harm could she do in fifteen minutes?

"Serena, you don't mind telling Chuck that Evelyn will be with me until the start of the ceremony, do you?" Serena opened her mouth to protest, but Blair cut her off with a simpering smile. "Thank you so much, S."

Serena cast her eyes downwards and slipped out of the room; while Evelyn rejoiced by talking loudly to Blair about how much fun they were going to have.

* * *

><p>"She's with who?!" Chuck bellowed at Serena who merely rolled her eyes.<p>

Sighing, Serena repeated, "She's with Blair, Chuck."

"Why?" He growled, "She's supposed to be in here with me, how did she get out?"

"I don't know Chuck, you were watching her. She must have slipped out," Serena threw her hands up. "She found me in the hall and asked me to take her to Blair. What was I supposed to say Chuck?"

"That she's supposed to stay in here with me, until the start of the ceremony." Chuck snarled.

"And she's not supposed to see her new mother?" Serena countered with a raised eyebrow, "Yes, that would have gone over well with her."

"Blair's not her new mother," Chuck's eyes grew hard. He pressed his thumbs to his forehead in effort to control his temper.

"When are you going to get it through your thick skull?" Serena huffed. "It doesn't matter what you believe or say, because Evie believes that woman is her new mother. Besides there's no point in saying it, unless you're saying it to Evie."

Chuck sagged a bit, moving away from Serena. "I can't tell her that, and you know it." He said softly, looking out the window.

"Then stop telling me it," Serena implored, stepping towards him. "Evie's always had a mind of her own, and you getting mad at your family for telling you what Evie's thinking isn't doing anything to help the situation."

"So what do you suggest I do?" He asked, half frustrated half serious.

"Let her get to know Blair," Serena said softly. "She obviously craves a mother, and Blair needs to get to know Evie before the trial anyway. Be cautious, but let it happen."

"And when Blair leaves?"

Serena frowned, "Let's just take it one day at a time."

"Hey Chuck," Nate poked his head in the doorway. "They're ready for you."

Chuck inhaled deeply, straightening his back. "Lead the way, Nathaniel."

* * *

><p>"I'm so glad you could make it, Daddy." Blair said gripping Harold's elbow tightly as they stood in line, waiting to walk down the aisle.<p>

"I wouldn't have missed it for the world, Blair bear." Harold said happily, pulling Blair a little closer.

He hadn't missed her first wedding, but Louis' mother insisted that she walk down the aisle alone, because it was more fashionable, while her father waited for her at the end.

"Don't let me trip," she murmured under her breath, willing to show one bit of weakness to the one man who truly loved her.

Her father's smile tinged with sadness as Evelyn started down the aisle first, skipping along as she threw flowers everywhere. She heard Evelyn's loud cry of, "Daddy," and the polite laughter of the audience. She started to lean forward to see what happened, but the wedding planner pushed her forward with a hurried, "Go, go."

For the first few steps, it was her father who pulled her along, forcing her feet forward as she struggled to recover herself. Then Chuck came into view.

He was standing at the altar in a white suit and an ice blue bowtie. Evelyn stood off to his side, holding his hand. He was staring straight at her though, a strange expression on his face as she came into view. And she found that she couldn't tear her eyes away from him either. It was as if the crowd faded from view, and all that remained in focus was Evelyn and him. She drifted towards him, slowly dragging her father along in her haste to reach the end.

When she reached the end, Cyrus, who offered to officiate, smiled down at her proudly. "Who gives this woman away?"

"I do," Harold stated, "as well as her fathers and mother."

He passed her hand over to Chuck. His large hand enclosed her own, while his other hand remained in Evelyn's grasp.

She barely hears Cyrus endless quote Siddharta, as she stared up into Chuck's eyes. He continued to stare down at her with that unreadable expression. For a split moment she considered wrenching her hand from his and declaring to the entire audience that she doesn't want to marry him. But his eyes keep her locked his grasp.

Horrified, she realized she doesn't want to leave him.

It was only when Cyrus turned towards Chuck, "Chuck, do you take Blair to be your lawfully wedded wife, in sickness and in health, till death do you part?"

"I do," he said clearly, not breaking their gaze.

"And do you, Blair, take Chuck to be your lawfully wedded husband, in sickness and in health, till death do you part?"

"I do," she said softly.

There are no poetic vows of love and promises, but there were rings. And at the end, Cyrus pronounced them Man and Wife, and Chuck tilted her back in a picturesque kiss while the audience sighed.

She was married.

Again.

* * *

><p>He doesn't really know how receptions are supposed to work. He's never been to one, but he knows a good party when he sees one. And Blair knows how to plan a good party.<p>

Everything is organized efficiently. Cater Waiters whisked throughout the party carrying plates of hors d'oeuvres. A string quartet sat at the head of the dance floor and couples were swirling around the dance floor to series of classical music.

He didn't know what the etiquette at a reception was, but he figured whatever it was, Blair knew, and he simply followed her lead.

They sat at the head table as people came up them in mobs offering their congratulations. He conducted most of the introductions while Blair smiled politely. Evie sat to his left, with Nate beside her. And Serena was off to Blair's left.

When everyone settled down, food was served.

"Daddy," Evelyn tugged on the sleeve of his suit. She was looking down at her chicken perplexed. "Can you cut it for me, please?"

He could feel Blair's heavy gaze on him and he slowly dug into Evelyn's chicken. He had been thrown a bit by the wedding. It was a normal wedding as far as he knew, but the entire time he had been physically unable to tear his eyes away from Blair. It wasn't just that she looked beautiful, she just seemed to radiate as she walked down the aisle towards him.

If she had looked like that when she had married Louis, he doesn't know how Louis could have left her.

"Well well well," Mrs. Richardson cooed as she walked up to them, her husband loitered behind her. "Don't you two make a dashing couple."

"Thank you, Lynn," he says with a wide smile, "Blair, this is the beautiful Lynn Richardson, a distinguished member of the Colony Club, and her husband Andrew."

"Oh Charles dear, you are quite the flatterer. Blair dear," Mrs. Richardson clucked turning towards Chuck, "you make such a wonderful bride. We'd love for you to join us next week for our weekly meeting. It's at my house."

Blair smiled, "I'd love to, but Chuck and I will be on our honeymoon."

Chuck's grin tightened. He hadn't planned for a honeymoon, but Eleanor and Cyrus' gift to them was a one-week getaway to the Bahamas, with a ticket for Evelyn. Blair, however, had been thrilled with the gift. He supposed it had been somewhat better than Bart and Lily's gift to them, which had been anything but subtle. It was the honeymoon suite at the Plaza.

"Oh that's wonderful," Mrs. Richardson crowed. "I've left my number in guestbook. Please call me when you get back."

"Of course, Lynn," Blair enthused, as the couple walked away. She shot Chuck a look, a look that spoke volumes about her current happiness. Chuck rolled his eyes. The Colony Club was a big deal, he was told, but he had never paid much attention to it.

"Can I have your attention?" Serena's voice echoed from the head of the stage. She was smiling brightly in a blue and white dress. "It's time for the Bride and Groom's first dance."

Chuck stood up, holding his hand out for Blair, and led her towards the dance floor. When she stumbled a bit on her train, he lifted it up to help her and all the women in the room let out a long sigh.

"Thank you," she murmured, not meeting his eyes as they crossed the floor to stand in the middle of the dance floor.

He twirled her around to face him and slipped his hand around her waist. The music began and they started to slowly waltz around the floor.

"You're as bad as I thought you'd be," Blair admitted begrudgingly, as she kept her eyes solely focused on a point behind him. She hadn't insisted on dance lessons prior to their Reception, hoping that Lily's upbringing had included the basic waltz lessons.

"You're not half bad yourself," he smirked down at her.

He twirled her into a dip.

"Show off," she huffed out, looking a bit breathless despite herself.

As the music winded down and the applause began, he pulled her close and kissed her softly, almost tenderly, as if kissing her was something he couldn't help doing. His heart thudded in his chest as he pulled away.

He needed a drink.

When everyone was sufficiently distracted, he pulled away from Blair and headed towards the bar. He had a scotch in hand when Serena found him. She frowned at the scotch but didn't say anything. "It's time for to cut the cake," she informed him, pulling the scotch out of his hand. "After that B will toss the bouquet and you'll pull off the garter."

"Wait," he stopped her, "what?"

Serena huffed out, turning towards him. "It's like the male equivalent of a bouquet toss. You take this piece of cloth off of Blair's leg called the Garter and toss it towards all the unmarried men."

"Really?" He mused thoughtfully. This, he could have fun with.

He barely paid attention as a large five-tier cake was wheeled out in front of him. Blair held the large silver knife, while he carefully placed his hands over hers, trying to ignore the sparks shooting up his hands.

"Feed him," Serena crowed as soon as they slid the slice of cake out. "Go B! Shove it in his mouth!"

Chuck turned to shout something slightly inappropriate about shoving things in Serena, while Blair shot a mischievous smile at Serena, and shoved a large piece of cake into Chuck's open mouth. Everyone gave a large cheer at that.

"You going to take that, Bro?" Nate jeered back.

Chuck swallowed thickly. Of course, he wouldn't take it, but he wasn't a caveman, smearing cake over Blair's face would effectively land him on Blair's bad side. Instead he delicately picked off a small bit of cake and held it up to Blair's face with a tender look. Again the room sighed.

The cake was cleared out, and Serena cheerfully called the unmarried woman to the center of the floor. Blair was standing off to the side, bouquet of the peonies in hand, eyeing the group of single women crowded in front of her. She turned around and lobbed the bouquet straight into Serena's waiting hands. Serena didn't look all that surprised, even though she was still standing at the head of the stage, far away from the crowd of woman reaching wildly for the bouquet.

Serena called out for the unmarried men before she daintily jumped down and walked towards Chuck. "Now your turn," Serena shoved him towards Blair. "Good luck, bro."

Nate placed a chair in front of Blair, and instead of sitting down, Blair pulled up her dress and placed her long milky white leg in front of Chuck. For a moment, he stared at the leg transfixed, before he met Blair's smug gaze.

Nate slapped him on the back hard. "Dude, it's just a leg." He could hear the barely suppressed laughter in his best friend's voice.

He shot a grimace at Nate, "Thank you for the advice Nathaniel." He gritted out, stepping towards Blair. She was staring at him satisfied, knowing fully well the effect that she had on him.

Plastering his patented smirk on his face, he slowly drew his hands up on her leg. Despite her appearance of disinterest, he could feel her shivering under his touch. His smirk grew wider as he passed her knee and still no garter.

"Naughty," he murmured as he stroked her thigh. He almost thought he heard her whimper.

The urge to go up higher and test how much farther she would let him go in front of everyone was great, but before he could act on that, his fingers came across a lacy cloth, and he tugged it off. He heard her breath a sigh of relief as he stepped away from her.

Even he felt a little unsettled at their display. He steadied himself and helped Blair off the chair. For a breathlessly moment, he thought he might kiss her again. She was looking up at him with a dazed expression, her lips slightly parted, as if she wanted him to kiss her, and he wanted too, so badly. He started to lean towards her.

Serena cleared her throat, snapping him out of his daze.

He turned around and tossed the garter straight at an unsuspecting Nate so that it smacked him in the face.

* * *

><p>Chuck was avoiding her again.<p>

It was like the time in the limo, but not really because Evelyn was trailing after them, watching them with beady eyes.

After the heated moment with the garter, Chuck had barely met her eyes. He had stayed by her side like he was supposed to, and she was grateful for that. But he would barely look at her, and he kept the respectable amount of distance from her. And when they had decided to leave the party, he increased that distance by a foot. He had purposely sat on the other seat in the limo, even letting Evelyn sit next to her without a comment or a nasty glance.

The limo ride to the Plaza was a quiet affair. Even Evelyn remained silent, her eyes ping ponging back and forth between the two of them. When they got to the Plaza, Chuck held out the door for the two of them and the flashing lights of cameras greeted. His large hand enclosed around hers and he dragged her through the crowd. She kept her eyes focused on the pavement, tugging Evelyn along with her.

They made their way up to the honeymoon suite, Chuck leading the way, about 20 feet away, while Blair trailed behind, and Evelyn matched her pace.

"Why does Auntie S call you B?" Evelyn asked finally.

Blair smiled at Evelyn, "Because it's a nickname. I call your Aunt Serena, S, and she calls me B."

"Oh," Evelyn looked away for a moment. "Why do you call me Evelyn?"

Blair was stumped for a moment. "Because it's your name."

"But everyone else calls me Evie," Evelyn mused.

"Evie is your nickname," Blair said softly. "And I think that nicknames should be earned."

"Oh," Evelyn thought about this for a moment. "You can call me Evie, if I can call you B."

"You want to call me B?" Blair looked amused.

"I have another name in mind," Evelyn admitted, eyeing Blair, "But I don't think you're ready for it."

Blair's breath caught in her throat. While she had wanted to question Evelyn as to what she had meant, there was a part of her that didn't want to know. If Evelyn had meant what she thought she meant, it would mean that Evelyn was already attached to Blair in a way that Chuck or Blair couldn't have prevented. And it would make everything more complicated.

"This is it," Chuck called out loudly over his shoulder, breaking through her thoughts. He looked back at them with an irritated expression, "Are you coming?"

Sparing Evelyn another glance, Blair looked back at Chuck, "Yes, of course. Come along, Evie." She said, leading the little girl towards her father.

The suite was a large room with a King size bed in the middle of the room. There was grand views, bottles of Dom, and rose petals everywhere.

And no room for Evelyn.

The truth was, Blair was glad Chuck had insisted on his daughter accompanying them and Evelyn didn't have the sense to insist on staying with her grandparents. Lily had pursed her lips in disappointment when Chuck had insisted, but she hadn't argued back.

Blair eyed the bed carefully. There was room for the three of them, but there was no way she was sharing a bed with Chuck tonight.

"Evie," Chuck looked down at his daughter, "Why don't you go change into your nightdress and brush your teeth?"

Evelyn looked between Chuck and Blair for a moment, before nodding, and running off towards the bathroom.

Chuck looked over at the bed. "Evelyn and I will take the bed, and you," his gaze shifted towards a hard couch in the corner, "can make yourself feel comfortable on the couch."

Anger flared through her, she was not going to be relegated to the couch. "No way, Bass," she gritted out. "I'm sleeping on that bed, Evelyn is free to join me, but you will not."

"That is unfortunate for you," Chuck said in mock sympathy, "because I do not plan on sleeping anywhere but that bed tonight. Besides this room was a gift from my father, so I will be dictating the rules of the room."

"The room was a gift for our marriage, and since I planned the wedding, it's essentially for me," Blair argued back.

"Tut tut, dear," Chuck drawled, "I think you've missed your key point. We're married, that means what's yours is mine."

"That wasn't in the vows," she growled out, just as Evelyn stepped out of the bathroom looking bewildered by the noise. She looked awfully small in her princess nightgown, cowering by the door.

"Are you fighting?" She asked her voice trembling a bit. She was looking at them, blinking rapidly as if she was trying to stay strong but losing fast.

Chuck's demeanor shifted instantly, his face fell and his posture slackened, the fight leaving him instantly. "No, Evie bear," he rushed towards her, scooping her up into his arms. "We were," he searched for the right words, "having a little disagreement about who got to sleep next to you." He winced right after he finished as if he had said the wrong thing,

"Oh," Evelyn's face cleared up instantly, she let out a little giggle. "That's so silly."

"Really?" Chuck said in mock surprise, "Why?"

"Because you can both sleep next to me, Daddy." She pointed to the bed. "It's so big," her eyes widened. "I can sleep between you and B and then you both get to sleep next to me," she pointed at herself.

"Well why didn't I think of that in the first place." Chuck played along, though his eyes looked troubled.

"Silly Daddy," Evelyn enthused shaking her head. "Now," she ordered, "go get ready for bed, I'm sleepy and it's past my bedtime."

"Yes, ma'am," Chuck mock saluted, as Evelyn giggled. He released Evelyn from his arms and sauntered towards the bathroom. As the door closed behind him, Blair felt a strange sense of panic being left alone with Evelyn, who was staring up at her expectantly.

"Can you tuck me in, B?" Evelyn yawned, rubbing her eyes, a picture of innocence.

Blair froze for a moment, "Sure, Evie." She led the girl towards the bed. Evelyn jumped on top of it, sliding towards the middle. After a moment of hesitation, she pulled back the blankets and laid them on top of Evelyn, who wriggled for a moment, trying to get comfortable.

She sighed as she settled into the right position, her feet leaning towards the left side of the bed and head towards the right, "Thank you B."

Chuck walked out of the bathroom at that moment, "All yours," he said before his eyes locked on Blair standing over Evelyn. His eyes narrowed slightly.

Blair quickly darted from Evelyn's side, into the bathroom, before he could say anything. "Thank you," she squeaked out, before slamming the door behind her.

She took her time in the bathroom, even pausing to take a quick shower. There was something about Evelyn that threw Blair off her guard, she wasn't sure how to handle it, and it made her meek in front of Chuck. It was one thing to banter with him over color schemes or PDA, but his daughter was a whole other issue.

When she slipped out of the bathroom, the lights were already off and the sole light that was pouring into the room, was the moonlight through the large open window. She paused for a moment at the sight of Chuck and Evelyn fast asleep on the bed, arms around one another.

Her heart melted as she walked towards the entwined pair. She slid into bed, turning to face the two new members of her family. Slowly she closed her eyes reveling in the moment, and wondering what tomorrow would bring.

_Tbd._

**Did you enjoy the wedding? I know I focused more on the reception. I really hate writing wedding vows, because I'm bad at them, and further more I felt like C and B aren't really in a place to say gushy things about one another. Either way, the garter scene wasn't planned, and I wanted a scene that was a bit charged between C and B, it sort of just came out, so I hope you all enjoyed that! **

**As always, please favorite and review if you enjoyed, and please follow if you want to see more, because there is definitely more to come! **


	9. Chapter 9

**It's Thursday, my lovely readers, and you know that that means! Thank you all so much for the wonderful response to the last chapter. I think I got around 26 reviews, which kind of blew every other chapter out of the water in that aspect. So thank you so so much! **

**So just a few concerns to address before we start. Yes, Nate and Serena knows about C and B, sorry about the confusion. But they do know the truth. No, Louis didn't physically hurt Blair. He hurt her a lot emotionally, because the trust between them was broken. It'll play more of a part later on in the story. And finally about the smut, I can't promise there will be an explicit smut scene. It's a personal choice, I'm not particularly comfortable writing graphic smut. I know that smut is a big part of C and B and I don't mind dabbling in the racy, but you won't be reading anything 50 shades of grey in this fic. It's rated T after all. But again, I make no promises either way, we'll see...**

**Anyway, enough of my babble, on to the next chapter.**

* * *

><p>"Rise and shine, Sleeping Beauty," Chuck's voice broke through her early morning half asleep haze.<p>

Blinking rapidly to clear the sleep from her eyes, Blair slowly rose up on her elbows. "Chuck," she murmured, her eyes focusing on his figure standing at the edge of the bed. His hair was slightly damp and combed back as if he had just taken a shower, and he was dressed in a neatly pressed suit. "What time is it?"

"Six in the morning," Chuck fiddled with the sleeves of his jacket. "Our helicopter takes off in an hour."

For a moment, she struggled to place his words before it occurred to her. Their honeymoon, the plane, she wasn't even dress or packed. She shrieked, jumping out of bed. "And you didn't wake me up earlier?"

"It wasn't my place," he shrugged, but there was a smirk on his face that spoke otherwise, he was enjoying this.

She hurried to the nightstand where she had left her phone the night before. "What happened to my alarm?" She fiddled with her phone, wondering why the alarm she had set for earlier hadn't gone off and woken her up.

"You didn't wake up and it was bothering Evie," Chuck shrugged again, "So I shut it off."

"Ugh," she groaned, hurling a pillow at him, "I hate you."

"Same to you darling," he neatly sidestepped the pillow. He headed towards the door; "I had Dorota pack a bag for you since you decided to sleep in. Evie and I will be headed to breakfast, feel free to join us if you make it in time."

"Chuck Bass," she stalked towards him, "I will kill you."

Laughing he slipped out the door before she could make it half way across the room, leaving her steaming behind him.

* * *

><p>Despite her apprehension about Dorota's packing skills, the outfit that Dorota had laid out for to wear on the plane pleasantly surprised her. They had met the helicopter just in time for take off and quickly she had slid into the jump seat before anyone could protest. Chuck and Evie slipped into the back.<p>

Being a nervous flier herself, Blair had recognized all the signs in Evie. She clung to Chuck, he had to carry her out of the limo to the helicopter. Once she was strapped in, Chuck wove his arm through hers and forced her to focus on him. He spoke in a soothing voice, distracting her from everything that was going on around them.

"See Evie," Chuck said without pointing out the window, "We've already taken off."

Turning away from both of them, Blair glanced out of the window; by watching Evelyn and Chuck she had barely noticed take off herself.

Chuck had spoken too soon, though, because just as Blair and Evelyn began to relax, the pilot hit a bit of rough air. "Daddy," Evelyn squawked, clutching onto Chuck, while Blair stiffened in her seat, turning her heated gaze on the pilot.

"Everything is alright, Miss. Bass." The pilot assured Evelyn with a soft smile. "Just as spot of turbulence."

Blair was not convinced. "I think you should pull up a bit," she said icily. "No one in this helicopter enjoys turbulence."

There was a beat of silence, and then Evelyn let out a hesitant giggle. "I agree with B, Daddy," she said, relaxing a bit into seat.

"Sorry, Mrs. Bass." The Pilot said quickly, pulling up the helicopter a bit.

The rest of the flight had been relatively quiet. Chuck continued to play little games with Evelyn to keep her distracted, while Blair marveled at the ease with which Chuck interacted with Evelyn. As soon as they landed in Teterboro, they were ushered into the Bass Jet, where she settled into the large comfortable seat, placing her sleeping mask over her face and her noise canceling headphones over her ears.

It was only fifteen minutes when she felt a small poke in her side. She lifted the sleep mask and headphones, and turned to face Evelyn sitting next to her, a tablet in front of her. "Want to watch the Little Mermaid with me?" She asked Blair hopefully.

She had planned on sleeping during the flight, but Evelyn's earnest hopeful face changed her mind. "Sure Evie," she pulled the mask and headphones off completely.

Evelyn grinned broadly and unplugged the headphones from her tablet. She turned back towards Chuck, "Do you want to watch too, Daddy?"

Blair turned around to spot Chuck staring at his laptop intently, but his posture was stiff, as if he had been paying attention to their conversation. He looked up suddenly, his eyes boring into Blair, forcing her to look away from him. "No, baby." He said finally. "Thank you for asking, you and Blair enjoy."

Evelyn turned away from Chuck, to focus on Blair. "I love Little Mermaid," she said conversationally. "I know all the songs, even Under the Sea, which is the hardest."

"Good for you," Blair said, feeling a little lost. She had grown up with Funny Girl and Breakfast at Tiffany's as her childhood movies. Disney Princess movies were a bit outside of her scope.

"Do you know the songs?" Evelyn asked excitedly. "We could sing together."

She heard Chuck let out a snort behind her.

She coughed, "No, Evie." She shifted uncomfortably. "I've never seen the Little Mermaid."

Evelyn gasped. "No way," she shook her head. "Now you have to watch it."

The next hour and half that ensued Blair focused on the screen as Ariel fought for her true love, while Evelyn's eyes ping ponged between the screen and Blair's reaction to the movie. Every song had Evelyn singing along loudly and very off key. But Blair found it surprisingly endearing, there was something incredibly uplifting about her innocence.

"Did you like it?" Evelyn launched on her as soon as the credits began to play.

Blair smiled at Evelyn, "Yeah," she said. "It was great."

The movie was no Audrey Hepburn film, but it wasn't half bad either. She liked that Ariel had fought for her future, and that Eric was by her side in the end. Mentally Blair planned to introduce Evelyn to some of Audrey's finest when they got back.

Evelyn danced a little in her seat. "Yay," she squealed. "We should watch Mulan next," she said quickly, tapping a few buttons on the tablet. "Or maybe Aladdin."

"Evelyn," Chuck interrupted surprising Blair. She turned around to see him standing over them with an unreadable expression. "I think it's time for your nap."

"What?" Evelyn whined, crossing her arms over her chest unhappily. "Why?"

Chuck glanced at his watch. "Because we have another two hours until we land, and you don't want to be all sleepy when we get there do you."

Evelyn struggled for a moment with that. Finally she huffed and got up. "I'll sleep, but I won't be happy about it."

Chuck's mouth twitched, like he was fighting a smile. "Okay," he said, and Blair could hear the suppressed laughter in his voice. He led her over to the seat besides his, already reclined and lined with pillows and blankets. Despite her supposed anger, Evelyn quickly cuddled into blankets and pillows and her breathing evened out within moments.

Chuck looked back at her, several emotions passed over his face. "You should get some rest too," he said finally. "Sorry she roped you into watching the Little Mermaid."

"It was no trouble," she said softly, but he had already turned away from her.

* * *

><p>"Welcome to Atlantis, Mr. Bass," the overeager front desk attendant trilled him, holding out the room keys in front of him. "We're very pleased to have you here. Your suite is already ready for you, and we set up the room for your daughter as you requested."<p>

"Thanks," he said shortly, reaching over to grab the keys.

The attendant clutched onto them a little tighter. "And I'd just like to let you know that we have a wonderful kid's facility where you can drop off your little one, in case you and the Missus want some time alone." The attendant gave a very obvious wink, looking over his shoulder at Blair.

Chuck gritted his teeth, "Thank you, but I don't believe that will be necessary."

The attendant continued to look past Chuck with a very large smile, "I'm not so sure your daughter is on the same page."

Chuck whirled around to see a woman in a safari outfit and a ridiculous hat crouched in front of Evelyn, talking animatedly. Evelyn was smiling and nodding along eagerly to whatever the woman was saying, while Blair looked on nervously, unsure whether or not to intervene. "Thank you for your service," Chuck growled out, grabbing the key and stalking towards Evelyn and Blair.

Blair stood up as Chuck approached them; she hurried to his side, pulling Evelyn along with her. "She wanted Evelyn to finger paint," she sneered in Chuck's ear as they walked away.

Chuck shook his head; there was no way Evelyn would be going to a kid's club.

* * *

><p>He was wrong.<p>

As it turned out, Evelyn was incredibly persistent.

The first evening in the hotel, he had kept her sufficiently distracted, shuffling her from activity to activity, until she was properly exhausted. He had tucked her into bed and slept by her side, effectively avoiding sharing a bed with Blair for another night.

The next morning, however, she had woken up early in the morning, slapping him awake with a simple, "I'm bored." She continually shook him, avoiding his pathetic calls for five more minutes, not relenting until he finally agreed to drop her off at the wretched Kid's Club.

The same woman with the safari's outfit was standing at the front desk of the room. "Evelyn," the woman crowed in delight. "It's so good to see you."

"When should I pick her up?" Chuck said, as he signed Evelyn in. "An hour or two?" He directed towards Evelyn.

"We're open from 7 am to 6 pm." The woman said happily, "You can pick up Evelyn any time in between."

"Pick me up in the evening, Daddy," Evelyn crowed out, over her shoulder as she ran into the room. "I'm going to make friends."

He stared after her pathetically for a moment, unwilling to go back to the room and face a day alone with Blair.

When he got back to the room, Blair was seating on the couch with plates of food surrounding her. "I didn't know what you liked," she shrugged, avoiding his eyes.

Chuck smiled, "Thank you." He sat beside her, floundering for a moment. It was their first time alone since the kiss and the garter toss, and he didn't have Evelyn as a shield anymore. There was a part of him that didn't know how to act around her. When the urge to kiss her again faded away, he was left feeling uncomfortable. "Blair," he said slowly, unsure of what to say.

"Let's be friends," Blair said suddenly, cutting him off, grabbing a platter off fruit in front of him.

"Uh," he stuttered, surprised by the sudden change. "What?"

"We have to spend a lot of time together," Blair said slowly, a slightly strained smile on her face, popping a strawberry into her mouth. "I think it would be easier if we were friends, not at each other's throats all the time."

"Oh," he said, feeling slightly disappointed, but mostly relieved. He grabbed a plate of eggs in front of him. "Sure. Friends." He mused on that, digging into the eggs, chewing thoughtfully. He did like Blair, and being friends with her wouldn't be all that hard. It would be quite enjoyable, in fact.

The smile remained on her face, but a spark in her eye dimmed a bit, and he felt like he had done something wrong again, before he could say anything, she cut him off again. "What's your plan for today?"

"I don't know," he shrugged. "Maybe a massage." She rolled her eyes at that. "Maybe some golf. Drinks for sure," he mused.

"What about we go out and do something?" She offered. "I heard there's a beautiful snorkeling spot nearby."

He froze at that. "I'm not much of a snorkeler." He said quickly, avoiding her gaze.

"Oh," she slumped a bit at that, "You don't like snorkeling?"

"I'm not much of a swimmer," he admitted, casting his eyes downward.

"You don't know how to swim?" It comes out more surprised than she wanted it to. Chuck seemed to be good at everything; it was a pleasant surprise to discover something he wasn't good at.

"It is a common sport that my father didn't think was appropriate for me," Chuck spat out, instantly defensive.

"There's no need to get nasty," Blair said simply, "Swimming is important for anyone to learn. What if Georgina tries to throw you into a river?"

Chuck didn't even think that deserved a response.

"Look," Blair said softly. "Go put on your swim trunks and meet me on the beach, I'll teach you how to swim."

"Blair," he said slowly. He was really looking forward to a massage.

"Now, Chuck," she ordered, walking towards the bathroom, without glancing back him.

Sighing loudly, he grabbed a pair of red swim trunks and headed towards the other bathroom. By the time he had slipped out of the bathroom, Blair had already left, leaving behind a set of directions to the spot she had chosen.

He had to hand it to her, she had found a secluded part of the beach. It was a cove of sorts, completely enclosed by rocks, keeping the water calm. She was standing at the edge in a see through sarong, and underneath he could catch a glimpse of a red and white bikini.

"We don't have to do this," he tried one more time, sending the water anxious glances. He wasn't scared of water, drowning in a shallow calm pool didn't seem all that possible. What terrified him was the possibility of failing terribly before he even began.

"We do," Blair urged. She tossed Styrofoam board towards him. "This is a kickboard. It will help you float."

He caught it with the tips of his fingers, eyeing it disgustedly. "Is this used?"

"It was the best I could find on short notice," Blair shrugged, looking not all that sorry. "It was either this or the floaties." She walked towards the water, throwing the sarong off her body, making his mouth feel all dry at the sight of her in red and white bikini. "Now quit whining and follow me." He edged into the water behind her, until it was about waist deep. "This should be good. Now place the kickboard under your chest and try to float."

He fumbled for a few moments, trying to place the kickboard under his chest, until he was finally in the position she had asked him to be in. "Okay," he huffed out from the awkward position, "Now what."

"Now I take the board away." She said reaching towards the board slowly.

"No," he snapped, clutching the board closer to his chest.

She giggled softly, "You're never going to learn if you use a kickboard to float all the time."

"I told you I don't need to learn," he said standing up, so he was towering over her.

"And what if Georgina throws," she started breathlessly at their proximity.

"What if Georgina throws me into a lake?" He finished taking a step towards her, so that they were standing chest to chest. "Then you'll be there to throw me a kickboard, won't you?"

"I—," she stuttered for a moment, taking a step back, and stumbling straight into the water.

He burst out into laughter as she sat up in the water, gasping for air as she struggled to push her damp hair out of her face. She gaped at him as he struggled to regain control of his senses.

"You are such an asshole," she spat out, pushing herself off of the ground in a huff.

"I didn't push you," he defended himself with laughter still in his voice.

She went to turn and storm off towards the beach, but he caught her wrist. For a moment, both of them stared at their joined hands, neither of them daring to breathe. Chuck suddenly let go, "Sorry," he mumbled quietly, looking away.

Blair felt a pang of disappointment. "It's okay," she muttered back. She rubbed her hands up and down her arms. "It's getting cold," she said quickly, looking back towards the hotel, even though it was still midday and the sun was shining down mercilessly on them. "I think I'm going to go back and take a shower."

"Oh," he backed away from her. "I think I'll practice for a bit," he gestured uselessly around him.

"Okay, I'll see you inside." She said, walking away, leaving him alone with the kickboard.

* * *

><p>"Daddy," Blair heard Evelyn's voice echo through the doorway. "You're hogging all the bed."<p>

She hadn't been all that surprised when their encounter on the beach had led Chuck to spend another night in Evelyn's bed. She had been avoiding him herself. She had rushed through her shower and spent the rest of the day doing everything she could think of outside of their room. It was only at dinner when she saw him again, which hadn't been as awkward as she feared as Evelyn chatted through the entire thing about all the things she had done at the Kid's club.

He had all but darted into Evelyn's room when they had gotten back to the room. And Blair had settled into their large bed, unable to sleep.

She heard the sounds of scuffling and a loud thud. She sat up straight as Chuck shouted out Evelyn's name. Jumping out of the bed, she ran into the room next door to see Evelyn on the floor in a tangled mess of blankets and Chuck leaning over the edge of the bed to look at her worriedly.

"Daddy," Evelyn shrieked indignantly, glaring up at Chuck. "You pushed me off the bed."

"Sorry, baby," Chuck pleaded, trying to awkwardly lift Evelyn back on the bed.

As soon as she was settled back in the bed, Evelyn began to shove at Chuck uselessly. "Get out, go sleep in your own bed."

"Evelyn," Chuck tried to say sternly, but it failed as Evelyn's fists began to pound into his back.

"Leave, leave, leave," she chanted angrily, her voice growing with intensity.

"Fine," he grumbled, getting off the bed.

Blair watched on, only slightly amused, as he stalked past her, into their room. Evelyn sighed as she settled into her now unoccupied bed. "Evelyn," she said, trying to mimic the voice her father used to when he wanted her to know she did something wrong, "That was not very nice. You should apologize to your Dad."

It was surprising, how naturally the authoritative the voice came to her.

Evelyn moaned, "I'm tired," she squirmed in bed. Clearly she wasn't going to get out of bed for any amount of guilt. "I'll do it in the morning."

Blair sighed. There was no point in dragging a cranky Evelyn out of bed to an even crankier Chuck. "Fine," she said, shutting off the lights in the room. "In the morning," she warned as she closed the door.

She paused for a moment, inhaling deeply, before she made her way to the other bedroom. Chuck was already fast asleep on the side of the bed that she had been occupying. For a moment she melted at the sight of him. He looked younger, less troubled and restrained. She made her way to the other side of the bed, and slipped in beside him. Carefully, she placed a pillow in between them. The urge to curl up next to him was already too great; she wouldn't let herself be tempted.

Closing her eyes and listening his light snoring fill the room, she quickly succumbed to sleep.

* * *

><p>Despite the size of the resort, it wasn't exactly easy to avoid Blair.<p>

No matter where he went, he seemed to run into her. At the Spa, he was walking out of the Sauna, while she was walking into the pool. At the beach, he was enjoying a good book, while she was tanning. At the bar, he enjoyed a scotch, while she slipped into the seat beside him and ordered a martini.

Even at night, he couldn't escape her.

After Evelyn banished him from her bed, she apologized in the morning for her harsh words, but didn't retract her order for him to sleep in his own bed. "You're a big boy, Daddy," she lectured him, when he had begun to beg.

Every night he pretended not to notice as Blair carefully slipped a pillow in between them when she thought he was asleep. Internally he was grateful for the forced distance, however it became a problem when he realized that every morning he had woken up before her to see her face inches away from his, as she was practically lying onto of the pillow.

In some ways, it was easier to let go. He had quietly begun to seek her out, finding her in the middle of a movie in their room, or catching her just as she was about to go to the pool and offering to join her. Giving into the notion that there was no escaping her had reduced his anticipation of seeing her by ten fold.

But in some ways, it was harder. Seeing her more frequently just reminded him that soon enough they'd be living together and then she would be completely unavoidable. And unlike the discreet resort, he couldn't fumble around her in New York, claiming that he was just leaving the bar, oh she was leaving, then he was staying.

"Are you okay?" She asked on the last day, over another martini in the bar. They had run into the bar more frequently as the week went on.

"Me?" He said quickly, too quickly. "I'm fine."

She eyed him closely for another moment as she took another sip of her martini. He felt sweat beginning to accumulate on the back of his neck. Moments earlier he had been wondering what it would be like to just take on the bar, to just give into his desires. She couldn't actually see that on his face, could she?

"Ready to go back home?" He asked quickly, changing the subject.

"Sure," she shrugged. "It'll be nice to go home and see everyone again."

Nodding absentmindedly, he tapped on his near empty glass, looking around the bar for something to comment on. He prayed for a moment that some blonde bimbo would walk in on the arm of an old man or the man they had spotted with three different women would walk in. It was one thing that they had found they had in common over the week, mutual disdain of those who were unworthy.

"Chuck," she said slowly, catching his attention. "Where is home?"

He opened his mouth to respond to her, when he felt a light tap on his shoulder. He turned around to face a smarmy looking man dressed in a bellhop uniform. "Mr. Bass?" He asked.

"Can I help you?" He asked his voice dripping with venom.

He slid a piece of paper across the bar towards Chuck. "Chuck Bass, you've been served." He said, before turning around and walking off.

Chuck gingerly lifted the paper off the bar, knowing exactly what it was, yet still hoping it was a subpoena for something, anything else.

"What is it?" Blair asked, looking at him nervously.

He glanced over it quickly. "It's the subpoena for the custody hearing," he murmured quickly. "Three weeks from now," he finished, his mouth growing dry.

"How does Georgina know where you are?" Blair asked, looking around as if expecting to find Georgina lurking behind some column.

"She must have hired a PI, or kept tabs on us. She did this on purpose." He folded up the paper and slipped it into his coat jacket. "She would have wanted to try and ruin our honeymoon." He shrugged, standing up, buttoning up his coat. "I guess that means she had recovered from our little surprise."

"Where are you going?" Blair asked, looking up at him.

"First," he said, "I'm going to complain to the manager about this," he tapped on coat where the subpoena was burning into his chest. "Then I'm going to take Evelyn out of the Kid's club, and we're boarding the next flight home."

"Chuck," she said slowly, standing up with him.

"There's no way I can spend another day sunning on the beach when Georgina is at home building up a case against me. We have three weeks to find a way to fight her, and I won't waste another second." He spat at her angrily.

"I was going to say," Blair said slowly, not letting his harsh words impact her, "that I'll go back to the room and pack up."

He deflated a bit. "Thanks," he said quietly, sending her a soft genuine smile.

He turned around, and Blair's hand darted out, catching his wrist. He turned around to face her with a questioning glance. She smirked at him, "If it's a war Georgina wants, it's a war she'll get."

_Tbc._

**Oh side note, I guess I'd been absentmindedly writing Tbd in the last few chapters like a total ditz. Sorry about the confusion. **

**Let me know about what you think about the Honeymoon and Georgina making her first move on C and B. Interesting enough I actually rewatched the Little Mermaid around the time that I wrote this chapter, it's my favorite Disney Princess movie. As for the tensions between C and B, here's a little spoiler for you, it's going to boil over real soon, maybe even next chapter...**

**I'll let you muse on that one. **

**As always please review and favorite if you enjoyed the chapter, and please follow if you'd like to see more, because there's definitely more to come! **


	10. Chapter 10

**Hello dears! It's Thursday, which means that it's time for another chapter. **

**I want to start off by thanking you all sincerely. I know I sort failed last week. I was shadowing someone at work, which meant I had no time to write last week. As amazing as that experience was, I made a total fool of myself by fainting at work. Embarrassment aside, it was kind of a scary thing. I've fainted before, but never to that extent. Anyway, because of all of that, I decided to take a break and give myself a week to catch up. **

**This chapter was heavily influenced by House Hunters, which is the only show my family will happily agree to watch together.**

* * *

><p><em>Breaking news Upper East Siders, C is back in New York, a newly married man. Sources tell me, S's Kindergarden bestie, Blair Waldorf, is the one to finally reel in the Bass. Well played, B. Now that C's got the love of his life, S got her BFF back, and our favorite little Bass has a new Mommy. Where does everyone's favorite devil, G, fit in? Send me all your theories! <em>

_XOXO, Gossip Girl_

* * *

><p>"Welcome home," Chuck deadpanned to Blair as they walked through the door to his suite at the Empire. Blair's nose furrowed a bit as she took in the place.<p>

"You live here," she questioned, looking around. "With Evie?"

"That's her room," Chuck pointed at the room next to Blair. "Or that was her. Currently her stuff has been shifted into my room. You can make yourself comfortable in her room."

Blair pursed her lips at that. It was a bit of a relief to get a night of decent sleep without Chuck Bass next to her, but she would miss his presence beside her. She struggled to repress the conflicting emotions, but the question left her mouth before she could. "Are you sure she'll let you sleep next to her after you tossed her out of the bed?"

Chuck smirked at that, "We came to an agreement." He said simply. "Now if you'll excuse me, I need to meet with my lawyers."

Chuck had spent the entire flight home communicating with his lawyers while Blair pressed Evelyn with questions. Her favorite color, her favorite snack. These were all things a suitable mother should know, right?

"Of course," Blair nodded. Part of her wondered if she should insist on joining Chuck. She had yet to meet his lawyers since the wedding, and she knew that she should be prepared for the trial as well.

"Evelyn is with Dorota, they should be back soon. Dorota keeps Evelyn on a pretty tight schedule, it would be best to stay of their way." Chuck said, a bit sterner than he had intended it to come out.

Blair flinched at the warning in his voice. Remember the agreement, she reminded herself, nothing has changed. Despite the honeymoon, growing close with Evelyn, she had been the one to insist that she divorce Chuck as soon as the trial was over. Chuck was only protecting his daughter, she could not begrudge him that. Biting down on her lip, she looked around the apartment and spoke her mind. "I don't think this will work, Chuck."

Chuck froze. "What won't work?" He felt a sense of panic growing in him as his mind raced through every possibility. He opened his mouth to immediately apologize for being so harsh on her about Evelyn, but she cut him off.

"I don't know much about custody battles, but I assume that someone is eventually going to come to our house to see how we're raising Evelyn, and this," she gestured to the apartment around them, "it simply won't work."

"Why?" He raised an eyebrow at her, feeing a sense of calm wash over him. She wasn't leaving, not yet at least. "I've been raising Evelyn in this place since I acquired the Empire, she loves it here. Besides, I practically grew up in hotels."

"And look how you turned out." She eyed him with a look of distaste that made him feel slightly uncomfortable. "Besides," she cut him off before he could argue back, "we should find a place with space for all of us, not just a place where we are managing. What would you say if someone were to ask why we're sleeping in separate rooms?"

"You have a contagious disease," Chuck said instantly, a smile playing on his lips. "Say the flu, or lice. We can let that person assume what kind of lice you have."

"Chuck," she growled at him, crossing her arms over her chest. Anger flashed through her at his smugness. "If I got any sort of lice, it'd be from you. You're a walking STD."

He frowned at that, suddenly grateful that Evelyn was out with Dorota. "Blair," he snarled out, running an irritated hand through his hair. "If you want to buy a new house, do whatever the hell you want. It's not like I can stop you."

Blair straightened instantly, pleased to be getting what she wanted, the anger melting from her frame. "Thank you, Chuck," she said with a pleasant smile. "I'll let you know when I've found a suitable alternative."

Chuck did a double take at Blair's sudden change, before he shook his head and walked right out the door.

* * *

><p>"You know, all things considered," Malika mused over a cup of coffee. "Blair's right on this one."<p>

Chuck glared at her over his own cup of coffee. "I'm beginning to think it was a bad idea to include you in this."

He had invited her to meet with him and his lawyers in order to discuss his next few steps now that Georgina had officially summoned him to court. His lawyers had plans and bravado, while Malika had reported that she had sufficiently kept Georgina out of the press, at least until Gossip Girl broke the news, once he got back to Manhattan.

Malika rolled her eyes, leaning forward on the table. "Look your place is an awesome bachelor pad," she leaned forward, "but there's no way you're selling the idea that it's a great place to raise a child."

"She has her own room," Chuck defended himself. There was a certain novelty to living in a hotel. Sure he had no supervision growing up, and it had been a lonely existence. But Evelyn was different. She had people with her constantly, Chuck included.

"Come on, Chuck," Malika scoffed. "Little kids are supposed to be surrounded by people who love them, people who are family. You've been surrounding Evelyn around people who work for you. Besides, you told Blair that you were raised like that. Tell me, how did you like growing up in hotels?" She stood up suddenly, looking at someone past Chuck. "Think about it." She walked past him, "He's all yours," she said to an approaching Nate.

Nate crossed Malika with an uncomfortable smile and settled into the spot that she had left. "What's wrong with her?" He asked when she was out of ear shot.

"She's just upset with me for fighting with Blair." Chuck dismissed with a wave.

Nate's face fell. "What did you fight with her about?"

"Blair wants to get a new place," Chuck sneered. "Guess the Empire is not up to her tastes."

"Chuck," Nate squirmed at bit, his eyes shifted around the place, like he almost wasn't sure whether to agree with Chuck or not.

Chuck's eyes narrowed on Nate. "You agree with her."

"Your place isn't exactly the friendliest, especially for a kid. I think Blair's got a point." Nate shrugged genially. "But it's your call, Dude, you're still Evelyn's father."

"Yeah," Chuck nodded quickly, happy to have Nate on the same page as him. "I'm her father."

"And you know what's best for her," Nate prodded, looking much too satisfied. "So you'll always do what's best for her."

"Exactly," Chuck agreed before he slumped a bit in realization. "God damn it," he growled as he stood up.

"Where are you going?" Nate asked, still smiling happily, as if knowing exactly where Chuck was headed. "I haven't even gotten my coffee yet."

"I need to go call Blair," he said, walking out of the coffee shop, while Nate laughed at his retreating form.

* * *

><p>"I'm so pleased you could join us today," the real estate agent trilled, settling into the comfortable leather seats in the Limo. "I've got some wonderful properties to show you and Mrs. Bass today." She batted her eyelids at Chuck who smirked back at her.<p>

Blair rolled her eyes. Chuck had called her right after she made the call to a real estate agent that Serena recommended, insisting that he join her on her house hunting. As soon as he turned up, the real estate agent hurried towards him, purring, "Call me Betty, darling." She stuck out her hand and chest at the same time. Chuck in turn, grabbing her hand, and twisted it towards him and placed a soft kiss on her hand. Betty let out a long sigh, backing away from slowly.

Blair felt at pang of irritation at the way Chuck seemed to handle Betty. She knew, logically, that Betty was a middle aged cougar that Chuck had no interest in, judging by the way his eyes flitted away from her within a few seconds. But it was infuriating to see him flirt with another woman with such ease, when he could barely make eye contact with her.

She was his wife, god damn it.

She slid her hand over Chuck's, determinedly not meeting his eyes, as he glanced towards her questioningly. After a moment, she felt his fingers lace through hers, and she shot a smug look at Betty, who was now looking out the window resolutely.

"Ah," Betty crowed a bit too high-pitched. "Here we are."

They stepped out in front of a modern building.

"This is a wonderful new building that just went high-rise and upscale," Betty waved wildly as they walked towards the building. "And today we're seeing the penthouse. It's got a private elevator that leads straight into a wonderful living room. But I'll let the place speak for itself."

"What about children's amenities?" Blair was stopped on the side of the street, looking up at the building skeptically. "And I requested to have a park within walking distance, didn't I?"

"There is a park down the street, Mrs. Bass. Merely a quick ten minute walk," Betty assured Blair. "However this building is more designed towards young couples. There is a gym, swimming pool, excellent security, etc."

"This simply won't do." Blair shook her head. "We're looking for a home, Betty," Blair sneered. "And this," she waved her hand in front of the building, "is a pathetic excuse for steel and concrete." She stomped back to the car.

Betty shot at Chuck a helpless look, who merely shrugged his shoulders, hands tucked into his pockets. He looked vaguely amused at Blair's display.

"On to the next house," Chuck suggested, pointing back to the Limo. "This could take awhile," he said conversationally. "I do hope you have no plans for later in the day."

* * *

><p>"This is a lovely Pre-War building," Betty said, leaning out the window as they pulled up to the next building. "There is a four story walk up, but the landlord has assured me that they're planning on installing a elevator soon."<p>

"A four story walk up?" Blair screeched. She looked over at Chuck, her eyes wide. "Have I hired the most incompetent realtor in all of New York?"

Chuck merely raised a questioning eyebrow at Betty, as if sharing Blair's question.

Betty shook her head furiously. "No matter, Mrs. Bass. I've got another building that may suit your needs."

* * *

><p>"This is in the Upper West Side," Blair deadpanned as they pulled up to the next building.<p>

"Yes," Betty hemmed carefully, "But it's a wonderful townhouse. It's got eight bedrooms, and it's a steal at—."

"But it's in the Upper West Side." Blair cut her off, her eyes flashing dangerously.

Betty stared at Blair open mouthed for a moment, unsure how to proceed. She didn't look towards Chuck for help, who was currently settled into his seat, swirling around a glass of scotch, looking at the proceedings, highly amused.

"We'll just go back to the Upper East Side, shall we," Betty murmured, tossing a few papers in her hand back into her bag.

* * *

><p>"This is adequate," Blair pursed her lips, peering out of the window, before Betty could speak. "Chuck?" She turned towards him questioningly.<p>

He peered out of the window and smiled a bit, "Whatever you want, darling." He drawled. "I assume we're going to actually go inside and see this one."

She frowned at him, "You were the reason we didn't see the last one in your parents' building."

"I just helpfully pointed out how many woman in the building I'd slept with." Chuck shrugged. Betty flushed red, shuffling with her papers. She looked incredibly disheveled and exhausted at this point. Chuck slid out of the Limo, holding the door open for Blair.

Blair moved to slide out of the Limo, looking back at Betty when she moved behind her. "We won't be needing you for this." Blair looked away as she moved out of the Limo, shutting the door behind her. Chuck shot her a look, which she merely ignored, heading towards the townhouse standing in front of them.

It was definitely more than adequate, Blair mused, walking up to the place. It was much like the place she had imagined living in once she had grown up. It was like a place she had imagined living in with Louis. Except she had never gotten the chance for that.

As they walked through the doorway, she let out an audible gasp.

"You like it?" Chuck turned towards her, a questioning glance on his face.

"It's beautiful," she gasped, suddenly glad that Betty hadn't followed them inside. "The spiraling staircase is gorgeous." She said looking upwards. She glanced at the sheet of selling information that Betty had stuffed into her hands. "The floor below us is the caretaker's apartment," she said dismissively. "Let's go upstairs."

He followed her as they walked up the spiraling staircase and walked into a large living room, brightened by the floor to ceiling windows at the end. "Dining room's down the hall," she pointed as they continued up the stairs.

"A library?" He asked her when they reached the next landing. She nodded and made her way down the hallway. She pushed open a door at the end of the hallway.

"The master bedroom," she announced, as they walked into a large open room.

"Nice space," Chuck admired. "We could fit a big bed in here."

"We?" She turned towards him, raising an eyebrow. "What makes you think I'll be letting you in here?"

"Because I will be paying for it, my love," he sneered. "My house, my rules. I have to admit though," he eyed her up and down. "I'm looking forward to sharing a bed with you again."

She burned where his eyes trailed over her, and she felt a shiver of pleasure at the thought of Chuck in the same bed as her. "There are more bedrooms upstairs," she said slowly. "I'm sure you'll find one of them more comfortable."

"I doubt it," Chuck drawled as they made their way up the stairs. "As none of them will have you, sweetheart."

Throughout the entire house, Blair could feel Chuck's eyes on her. Every heated moment between them made it more and more difficult to ignore the growing connection between the two of them. She had suggested friendship in an attempt to create distance between the two of them, but it had helped very little. When her back was turned, she could feel Chuck's heated gaze, but the moment she had turned around to meet his gaze, he was looking elsewhere.

She felt like a fool at times. The arrangement was constantly ringing around in her head, and by assuming that there could be something more between the two of them; she was letting Chuck Bass play her like a fool. And Blair Waldorf was no fool.

"What do you think?" She asked him, when they reached the roof. The wind was whistling softly around them.

"Nice," he placed his hands in his pockets. "The master bedroom was my favorite." He said shooting her a suggestive look.

She shot him a wan smile. "That couch did look lovely," she mused, while his smirk only grew wider.

"The bed was even better," he said in smarmy voice.

She rolled her eyes. "So this is the one?"

The smile on his face grew more genuine. "This is the one."

* * *

><p>"Blair showed me the place," Serena crowed into the phone loudly, when she picked up. "It really is lovely, Chuck. I'm so glad for you."<p>

"Yeah," he said slowly. "Look I need a favor. Blair wants to surprise Evelyn with the new place today evening. She's over there setting up. Do you mind bring Evie over around seven?"

"Why can't you do it?" Serena asked, her tone growing more suspicious. He could almost imagine the way her eyes narrowed and her lips pursed, as if she was trying to solve a difficult problem.

"I've got a meeting," he said evasively. It was a half-truth, he had a meeting, just not before they were supposed to meet. He had been hoping to get a few more minutes of time alone with Blair. It was embarrassing enough to admit to himself, much less Serena, who would get overly excited at the prospect.

He could no longer deny the attraction between him and Blair. They had agreed to be friends, which he was starting to think was the stupidest decision he could have ever made. Rational fought him though. His feelings may have changed, but hers might not have. And getting romantically involved with her, it may warp Evelyn's perception of her even more.

Yet he still wanted to see her alone.

"Are you going to see Blair alone?" Serena's voice sounded smug, as if she had just solved a big mystery.

"Sis, if I ever wanted to see Blair earlier then I have to, please have me committed," he drawled, hoping that Serena didn't see through the lie this time.

"Yeah, yeah," Serena dismissed. "Whatever. I'll do it this time, but only because I'm rooting for the two of you."

"I said," he went to repeat himself, but Serena cut him off.

"I know what you said, and I don't believe you." Serena said, and he could almost hear the smile in her voice. "I'll bring Evelyn over around 7:30 just to be safe."

"Serena," he said slowly, eager to dissuade her of the notion that something more might be happening between him and Blair, even though he wasn't quite sure himself.

"Chuck," Serena mocked. "It's okay to like your wife."

He pressed his fingers against his temples in irritation. "But she's not my wife, at least not really."

"You keep saying that, but what you don't realize is, she is. She's your wife, legally speaking, and it's okay to treat her like that, and you probably should," Serena's voice took on a warning tone. "I saw the articles," she said disapprovingly. "Mom was right to try to not let you take Evelyn to the Plaza with you on your wedding night."

Malika had thrust the headlines at him angrily when they had first met. Headlines claiming that there was trouble between him and Blair because Evelyn had followed them from their wedding night to the honeymoon. They had Nate release another article claiming that Evelyn couldn't bear to be left alone, and that the newly weds had enough time to themselves on their honeymoon.

"It's fine," he brushed off. "Malika's having the Spectator do a piece on our house-hunting. Damage control is being done."

"You can't always put on a face for the press," Serena warned him. "You might slip up, becoming closer to Blair might help. Besides, she's a nice girl. I doubt you could do better."

"Thanks Serena," he gritted into the phone, eager for her to hang up.

"Fine Chuck," Serena finally growled out, irritated at the way he dismissed her. "I'll text you before I show up with Evelyn." She snapped into the phone before hanging up, not giving him a chance to say anything else, leaving Chuck to muse over her words.

* * *

><p>Blair eyed the picture in front of her.<p>

After negotiating a deal to purchase the furniture she had found appropriate in the house, she had spent most of the day decorating the house to her taste.

She leaned forward to tilt just a bit to the right when Chuck's voice floated through the doorway. "Nice," he drawled.

She whirled around to face him leaning in the doorway staring at her intensely. "What are you doing here?" She asked, her voice high with surprise. "I thought you weren't coming for another half an hour."

"Blair," he said walking towards her, a bit of laughter in his voice, "It's already seven."

She glanced over at the clock on the mantel. "Oh," she said quietly, feeling a bit embarrassed. She glanced at the picture in front of both of them. She had been unsure whether or not it was appropriate, all things considered. But she felt like it would be odd if there were no pictures from their wedding. So she had a picture of Chuck, Evelyn and her blown up. She had been fussing over the picture, worried that Chuck wouldn't like it. "Do you like the picture?"

"I was actually admiring the view from behind," he admitted with a smirk.

She resisted the urge to slap his shoulder, but she couldn't resist the pleased smile that slipped onto her face. "The picture?" She prompted, eager to ignore his remark.

"It's nice," he said, sparing it a glance. He turned back towards her. "Blair, there's something I need to talk to you—." A look crossed her face that made her feel wary.

"Look at this couch I found," she interrupted him in a strangled voice, suddenly afraid of what he was going to say. She had only seen that look on his face when he was about to kiss her. An intense look that she couldn't quite comprehend and it was making her stomach turn. "Doesn't it complete the room?"

"Blair," he said slowly, not looking at the couch, but keeping his gaze fixed on her.

"—And this vase," Blair continued, struggling to ignore Chuck, "Dorota can fill them up with Peonies."

"Blair," Chuck said, his voice growing in irritation.

"—And what about coffee table," Blair pointed at the table. "I was unsure about it at first, but I think it works."

"Oh shut up," he growled, stalking towards her. He scooped her up in his arms and kissed her fiercely. For a moment, Blair froze; she could barely comprehend what was going on. Before she could wonder if this was a bad idea, she melted into his arms, feeling like everything was finally falling into place. Every worry she had instantly disappeared. They could have kissed for ages, his lips moving over her own, her tongue slipping into his open mouth.

Just as she felt his hands skate up the sides over her waist, a voice broke through their haze. "Ew!"

They jumped apart, panting heavily. Blair smoothed her hands over her slightly rumpled dress, while Chuck turned to glare at the intruder, softening instantly when his eyes landed on Evelyn.

Serena, however, looked white-faced. "I'm so sorry," she blurted out, "I tried texting you, Chuck. But the door was open, and Evelyn was eager to see you both."

Evelyn was covering her eyes and chanting 'gross' over and over again.

Struggling to form words, Chuck said the first thing that came to him. "Evelyn, stop." He commanded. "Blair and I were only kissing." He felt his stomach turn at the words.

He had kissed her in a moment of passion. He had given into his desires, and his daughter had seen. The only thing he wanted to prevent was hurting Evelyn, and now he had effectively ruined any chance of this ending easily.

Evelyn peered through a crack in her hands, like she didn't quite trust him to tell the truth. "Are you really done?"

"For now," Chuck said curtly, struggling to remain in the present, as Blair had gone a ghostly shade of white and seemed dazed by the proceedings.

Evelyn giggled, peeling the hands from her eyes. "Is this my surprise?" She gasped, looking around the room.

"Surprise," Serena said weakly, she was turning a ghostly shade of white and her eyes were fixed on Blair's prone form.

"Blair and I bought a new house, we're moving in here." Chuck said trying to focus solely on Evelyn, struggling to control his breathing. "Why don't you go explore the rest of the place, you can try and find your room." He suggested to her.

Evelyn looked thrilled at the idea. "Yay," Evelyn let out a shriek, running out of the room.

"Evelyn," Blair looked up suddenly, sensing an escape, her voice strangled with emotion. "Wait for me." She hurried out of the room, not meeting anyone else's eyes, following Evelyn's retreating figure.

"Chuck," Serena hissed, as soon as Blair was out of earshot. "I said get closer to Blair, not jump in the deep end."

"Serena," Chuck started warningly. "Please don't."

His head was swimming. He hadn't meant to kiss Blair, of course. He had only meant to have a discussion with her. But he was never very good at the talking aspect of relationship. Preferring to communicate with touch. This was the first time that had ever backfired on him.

"—And right in front of Evelyn," Serena continued angrily, "as if she didn't have ideas before. Now she's going to be brimming with them."

Chuck remained silent, a sense of panic growing in him. When she had resisted actually talking to him, the only way he could get her to shut up was to kiss her. Only after they parted did he realize what a huge mistake he had made.

He had kissed her without even knowing how she felt. For all he knew, she could be packing up her bags because he had gotten too close. Or even if she liked him a bit, this would complicate them too much for her to handle.

"You told me," Chuck turned on her, angry that she had encouraged him even a little bit. "You said I should treat Blair like my wife."

Serena sagged with that knowledge. "I know," she said quietly, looking away from him. "It's just that, I thought you would talk to her first."

"What makes you think we didn't talk?" Chuck huffed out.

"It was the way she looked at you." Serena said sadly. "She was so frightened, like the mere thought of you, terrified her." She shook her head, clearing that thought from her head. "You need to fix this," Serena snapped, turning to walk out of the room. "If you don't, Blair's going to run."

Collapsing into the chair, behind him, Chuck felt the panic overtake him. He had really screwed things up.

* * *

><p>When Blair had finally caught up with Evelyn, she was sitting in the Playroom, holding up two dolls curiously.<p>

"Blair and Daddy sitting in a tree," she was singing softly under her breath, as Blair walked up to her, "K-I-S-S-I-N-G."

Blair felt her heart break just a crack. Chuck's kiss had caught her off guard, and it was easy, way too easy to sink into him without any regards for the consequences.

His kiss had made one thing clear, he had felt the same connection to her. It was now inescapable. And under all circumstances she would have been thrilled with the kiss. But Evelyn had seen, worse, Serena had seen. Serena knew better. Serena would kill her.

Her mind was racing, did Chuck want more from her? Did she want more? It was one thing to feel attracted to Chuck. He was handsome and suave. It was natural. But the nature of their agreement was complicated. She was married to him, agreed to put on a show for the sake of his daughter, she wanted to leave him as soon as it was over. Now she couldn't leave, not if it was going to hurt Evelyn.

Would Chuck want her to leave though? He had been all too willing to agree to their pre-nup. Would feelings change that? Or would he just want to use her body? Could she let him do that to her? No matter how much she thought she'd enjoy it, there was just too many ramifications to that.

Worse, what if he wanted more? Did she want more? Louis flashed into her mind. He was supposed to be her something more, but that had failed. She wasn't sure if she was ready for something more.

Serena appeared in the doorway, looking breathless and disheveled. "There you are, Evelyn," Serena trilled in a falsetto. "You're father is looking for you, he wants to show you your new room." Serena didn't spare Blair a look.

"But Auntie S, I want to play." Evelyn didn't look away from her dolls, but her whining voice made it clear that she wasn't thrilled with the turn of events.

"Evelyn," Serena's voice was sharp when she spoke again, it startled Blair, and apparently Evelyn, because the younger girl turned towards Serena with a shocked expression. "I need to speak with Blair privately, so could you please go find your father?"

Pausing for only a moment to look hesitantly between the two woman, Evelyn stood up and darted out of the room quickly, calling out for Chuck as she went.

The silence between them crackled with intensity. Blair tried not to cower under Serena's piercing gaze. She hadn't done anything wrong, she reassured herself. She had kissed her husband. Her fake husband. But her husband, nonetheless

"You know," Serena said finally, her tone thoughtful. "When I told Chuck to make a move on you, I didn't really mean for him to kiss you. But I shouldn't really be surprised."

Blair's head snapped up, her expression surprised. "You told Chuck to make a move on me?"

Serena's face softened. "I really like having you as a sister-in-law."

Blair's breath quickened, "I've only been your sister-in-law for a couple of weeks," she muttered numbly. "You can't really—."

"I never had a best friend after you," Serena said suddenly, cutting Blair off. "I mean, Poppy and I spent a lot of time together because she was fun, and before that there was Georgina, and we both know how that ended. But neither of them were my best friend. That title always belonged to you, B."

Blair felt herself sag even further with that knowledge. "S, you were always my—."

Serena held up her hand. "I know," she cut off Blair. "And Chuck," she sighed, "god, Chuck. I used to _hate_ Chuck. He was gross and vile and cruel," she trailed off. "Well I suppose he still is," she amended at Blair's disbelieving expression. "But the thing with Chuck is that he cares. He cares almost too much. When Georgina was threatening me, he was the only person who saw what was going on, and he helped me without asking any questions."

"I know," Blair began, but Serena cut her off again.

"I'm not finished," she said quickly. "Chuck cares a lot, and there's no one," Serena emphasized, "he cares more about then Evelyn. Look," she sighed and looked away unhappily, as if she regretted what she was about to say, "there's no one who would be more thrilled about the two of you getting together. But now that I realized what kind of effect it could have on Evelyn, I don't think it's the best idea for both of you to be together. Not with the trial coming up."

Blair felt a flash of anger go through her. She was tired of being treated like a child, told what to do and what not to do. "Chuck and I are both adults," she said hotly, "We can handle ourselves."

"Neither you nor Chuck are the most level headed people I know." Serena argued. "If this thing goes sideways, what's to stop you from turning on Chuck in court? You could mess this up for him Blair, and that was the point of this entire arrangement."

"I wouldn't do that," Blair said lowly. "I would never hurt Evelyn of him in that way."

"Maybe that's true," Serena shrugged, "But it's easier said than done."

"If you think so poorly of me," Blair said coolly, standing up, brushing imaginary dust off her dress. "Then you can leave my house, because I know how to handle myself and Chuck is capable of handling himself as well. We are not idiots, and I don't need you to come into my house and judge me."

"Blair," Serena's face fell and she looked nervous. "I didn't mean to—."

"Leave, please." Blair snapped, looking away from Serena, ignoring the pang of guilt that filled her.

She waited until the sound of Serena's footsteps faded away before she let a single tear slip down the side of her face.

_Tbc. _

**So how about them pickles? **

**Are you surprised that Chuck kissed Blair? I told you that things would be heating up between the two of them. Obviously the problem now is the balance between physical and emotion feelings between the pair. The two will come to a sort of agreement in the next chapter, but will that soothe the tension? **

**By the way, I think this is officially the longest chapter. I hope this makes up for missing last week. **

**As always, please favorite and review if you enjoyed the chapter. And follow if you want to see more, because there's definitely more to come. **


	11. Chapter 11

**Another Thursday, another chapter! **

**First off, thank you for all the lovely reviews, especially those of you who could review because apparently deleting a chapter now does not delete the reviews, and you couldn't review twice, so you submitted guest reviews or sent me PM messages to tell me you enjoyed the chapter. It was super sweet and made me feel wonderful! I didn't get a chance to respond the reviews personally this time, so I'm going to address some concerns in the Author's Note. **

**Some people have been asking for jealous!Chuck, you'll get a bit more jealous!Blair in this chapter, but don't worry, I'll definitely include some jealous!Chuck in the next few chapters. As for the way Serena was acting, I was trying in some ways to mimic her reaction to CB in the show, as we know she wasn't the biggest supporter of the two, so I tried to make it so that she wasn't as entirely on board when she saw it play out in front of her. She's worried about the two of them hurting each other, especially with so much on the line. **

**Many of you were worried that last week's kiss would send Chuck and Blair a step back, but never fear, it will take them forward. No, there won't be any kisses this chapter. But there will be something else, some realizations, some big, some small. The most important part right now, is getting Chuck and Blair to realize their feelings, and then to realize their feelings are mutual and then to be brave enough to act on them. **

**A disclaimer, I've been to family court and shadowed a family lawyer, but I'm still not as entirely familiar with family law, so as I introduce more elements of family law to this story, please realize I'm not an expert and certain elements may be dramatized for the purposes of well, making the story more dramatic. **

**Another sidenote, why did no one tell me the formating was so ugly for the last chapter? Sorry about that, I guess I forgot to put in the line breaks! **

**Anyway, please read the Author's note at the end of the chapter, it's super important, but that's enough of my rambling for now! Allons-y!**

* * *

><p>"I like my bed the bestest." Evelyn crowed as she jumped up and down on her bed, her nightgown flopping around her. "It's so soft and bouncy."<p>

"Best, Evie, not bestest," Chuck corrected her, watching her with a fond smile. He knew he should probably stop her from jumping up and down; she could fall and break her neck. But there was something so carefree about her expression, and the fact that she wasn't asking him about Blair, so he continued to let her jump up and down.

"Daddy," Evelyn shouted down at him, "You should join me. It's so much fun."

He eyed the bed skeptically. He didn't think it could handle their combined weight. "Maybe another day," he said.

She simply shrugged and continued to jump up and down without concern.

After Serena had left, he had ushered Evelyn through her bedtime routine hours earlier than necessary, something she complained about. It was cowardly to avoid Blair again by using Evelyn, but he never claimed to be a good person.

His mind was swimming with possibilities. The most rational, of course, was to claim that the kiss was a fluke that they should simply go back to normal. But it was a lie, and ignoring the kiss increased the possibly of it occurring again.

Suggesting that they entire some sort of relationship was a risk he wasn't sure he was ready to take. He had never been in anything that could be considered a relationship. He didn't even know if he was capable of being in a relationship.

"You shouldn't let her do that," a voice interrupted his thoughts from the doorway. He turned around to face Blair, who was leaning against the doorway heavily, Her hair was damp, as if she had just gotten out of the shower, and she was wearing a dark silky robe that almost made him lose his resolve right there.

Evelyn slowed to a stop and plopped down on the bed with a giggle. "It's so much fun, B."

Blair smiled softly, walking towards the bed. "It's not safe though, you could fall and get really hurt. Promise me you won't ever jump on the bed without your Daddy or me here."

He watched the interaction with wide eyes, his eyes widening even further when Evelyn nodded. It was almost maternal.

Evelyn yawned mercifully and Chuck busied himself with tucking her in. "Goodnight Evie bug," he said softly, leaning down to place a soft kiss on her forehead. When her eyes fluttered close, he turned towards the door, and Blair began to follow him out when Evelyn interrupted them.

"Wait," her soft voice called out. "B needs to kiss me goodnight too."

Blair looked at Chuck questioningly. He felt his heart pang slightly, but he nodded at her, a stiff jerky gesture, but a nod nonetheless. Blair hastily plopped a kiss on Evelyn's forehead and almost ran out of the room.

"We should talk," Chuck said slowly, as soon as Evelyn's door was closed behind them. "We need to talk," he amended at her pleading look.

Her face stiffened. "Well then we should talk about boundaries, and how you can't respect them. You assaulted me."

"Don't be childish," he dismissed, "It's not a good look on you. Besides, you kissed me back."

"Semantics," Blair brushed off.

"No," Chuck said seriously, "It's really not."

Blair gulped softly, and felt the anger leave her suddenly. "Chuck," she said softly, "I don't think—."

"I know," he said quietly, completing her thought. "We can't."

"We shouldn't." She amended; she shot a look at Evelyn's door. "It makes everything complicated."

"Evelyn comes first," he said, reminding himself more than her.

"I think," she said slowly, "that maybe we shouldn't kiss anymore. It's too much temptation. We should keep the PDA strictly PG."

Although panic shot through him at the thought of never kissing Blair again, he forced himself to nod shortly. "Good idea."

She took a step towards him, looking only slightly dazed, as if she hadn't been meaning to. "It doesn't mean that I don't want to." She was standing almost chest to chest with him, looking up at him, eyes wide and lips slightly parted. It would be so easy, he thought, just to lean down at kiss her.

"Blair," he said huskily, growing warmer at their proximity. All thoughts of Evelyn left his mind, leaving only Blair behind.

Her eyes widened at the look on his face, and she took a startled step back, as if she had remembered herself. "I'm sorry," she squawked out. "I'll sleep in the guest bedroom tonight." She practically sprinted away from him, on breathing when the door was closed behind her.

* * *

><p>"This is nice," Malika said thoughtfully, holding up a picture of Chuck wrapped around Blair, whispering something in her ear, Blair was smiling widely at something in the distance. It was a picture that depicted a happy couple, maybe even a couple in love.<p>

"Fine," Chuck dismissed without even looking at it. The picture was a lie either way, he had purposely leaned down, knowing the cameras were on them. Blair had been tense in his arms the whole night they had been out for the Sotheby's auction. They had been steadily avoiding each other unless it was around other people. Blair had become a part of Evelyn's night time ritual, making Blair not entirely avoidable.

Malika shot him an irritated look. "I could have held up a picture of a monkey scratching his butt and you would have said it was fine."

"Malika if you want a better opinion," Chuck said, barely keeping his irritation under wrap. "You should talk to my father. He has plenty to say about Blair and I."

Chuck's head was still swimming from the thundering speech Bart had given him the moment he had stepped into the office. Serena had went and spoken to Bart, proving that Chuck could never trust her with anything ever again, and Bart had not been happy, to say the least.

Malika rolled her eyes. "Whatever," she dismissed. "Just remember I arranged an interview for you with a reporter from the Spectator. Nate says he's sending one over personally. Don't screw it up," her eyes narrowed.

"I can handle an interview," he said angrily, slamming down on his keyboard with unnecessary force.

"Okay," she said slowly, "I have a feeling I'm going to regret this," she blew out a breath. "What's the problem?"

"It's not a problem that I can discuss with the help," he sneered angrily.

She recoiled, hurt flashing across her face. "I'm sorry, Mr. Bass." She said quietly, avoiding his eye. "I'll just see myself out."

He looked up at her, almost wanting to apologize, but he merely watched the way she slumped out of the room.

Sighing, he placed his hands on his face. Things had been tense between him and Blair. He had discovered that it was much easier to place physical distance between the two of them. But with all their recent public appearances, there was no immediate hope of distance between the two of them.

Despite her assurance and agreement that distance was the key, she still walked around the house looking at him like he had physically wounded her.

A phone call from Child Services about an appointment with a social worker had not helped much. It was a formality, his lawyer assured him, simply the court determining whether any allegations that Georgina had made against him were true.

And Nate was calling him repeatedly on the phone insisting that he forgive Serena, because the blonde was sulking around their apartment distraught. He insisted that he didn't owe Serena anything, and it had caused Nate to proceed to give him the cold shoulder until he mended things with Serena.

Serena's act of vengeance had been to tell Bart about the tumultuous relationships between Chuck and Blair which had resulted in Bart through every insult about irresponsibility in his vocabulary at Chuck. He had ended the speech questioning whether Chuck even deserved Bass Industries.

One day, his head was going to explode from the amount of disappointment and anger that was piling on top of him.

Sighing, he punched a few numbers into the phone. When the person on the other end picked up, he spoke quickly. "Hey, I think I need to talk."

* * *

><p>"I'm sorry, Mrs. Blair," Dorota wheezed over the phone. "But I very sick, and Mister Chuck not answer phone."<p>

Blair sighed quietly. "It's quite alright, Dorota. I can pick up Evelyn."

"I already tell Miss. Evelyn school," Dorota coughed out. "They make Miss. Evelyn wait."

"Thank you, Dorota," she said quickly. "Get better soon."

She felt a pang of worry as she hung up the phone. Dorota had been nearly invaluable to Evelyn's care. Without her, Blair was at a loss. Chuck was little help. He left early in the morning, and came back late at night.

She quickly dialed Chuck's number. It went straight to voicemail.

"Bass," she barked into the phone, unable to keep the irritation out of her phone. "I'm on my way to pick up Evelyn. Dorota's sick and won't be able to take care of her for god knows how long. Look, if you want me to drop her off with you, I could. But she can stay with me." She finished, a bit more hesitant. She sighed, "Just call me back."

Stupid, she scolded herself as she hung up the phone, she shouldn't have let that pang of loneliness seep into her voice when she pleaded with him to call her back. Chuck hadn't been talking to her, and that wasn't entirely her fault, she had been avoiding him as well. But she missed him.

That wasn't entirely his fault, of course. She had been avoiding him, just as he was avoiding her. With the upcoming trial, Chuck was busy, and she, she trailed off at that thought. She had a lot to think about. Despite her idea of sleeping in the guest bedroom, she thought of little but Chuck's kiss.

She had snapped at him, insisted on boundaries as a defense mechanism. But there was a part of her that was disappointed with the way he had agreed to it so easily.

It made things even more confusing.

She couldn't like Chuck Bass? Could she?

She hadn't thought it possible to like anyone after Louis. He had broken her trust so thoroughly, that in a fit of childish resentment she had declared to herself that she would never love again.

And so soon after Louis, she was panting after Chuck like a dog in heat.

It had occurred to her as a possibility that she simply wanted Chuck to like her. She had always been a bit vain that way, and it wasn't far outside her personality to simply want Chuck to like her, without liking him back. But this didn't feel that way. The truth was, she liked him. She wanted him to kiss her, to touch her, to hold her. She wanted him.

Maybe it would easier if she didn't know he felt the same way. He had made his feelings clear when he kissed her, confused her a bit when he pushed her away, but she still believed that he felt the same way.

Was it worth the complication? She wasn't sure.

They both had a lot to lose. Chuck had his daughter and his company. She had her mother's company.

She had gone to visit her mother hoping that it would provide further illumination, but it had only made her more conflicted. Eleanor was bouncing around the house, giddy with success after Bart had saved her company from disaster. Her mother even confided plans to retire, passing on the company to Blair.

If she screwed things up with Chuck, it could mean the end of her mother's company.

It would mean more for him. She had come to care for Evelyn, and the thought of the little girl ending up in the hands of Georgina did pain her. She couldn't let Chuck risk his case.

They pulled up in front of the school. She schooled her thoughts, straightening her face into a gentle smile. It wouldn't do Evelyn any good to see her looking so conflicted.

She stepped out of the car and called out to Evelyn.

Evelyn's face lit up, and the girl hopped down from her spot on the stairs. "B," she crowed, running down the steps, two at a time. She came to a hasty stop, right in front of Blair. "I thought Dorota was coming?"

"She's not feeling well," Blair said, smiling down at her. "I thought I'd come and get you."

"Really?" Evelyn looked ecstatic, "That's great!" She hopped from foot to foot. "Can we go get ice cream?"

"Aren't we going home?" Blair asked her, a bit taken aback by the sudden change in subject.

"Dorota lets me get ice cream." Evelyn batted her eyelids up Blair.

Blair smirked, recognizing the expression well. It had been one she had used quite a lot when she wished to get her way. "If you look at her like that," Blair smiled, "then I don't doubt it."

"So ice cream?" Evelyn pushed.

"We'll see," Blair said, pushing Evelyn lightly towards the car.

* * *

><p>"I'm glad you came," Chuck said gruffly, sitting down.<p>

Eric grinned widely. "I haven't seen you since you got married, and then you call me saying you need to talk, of course, I was going to drop everything."

Chuck rolled his eyes. "You're on summer break, you have nothing to do."

Eric simply shrugged. "You never know, I could have." Eric paused for a moment, his eyes narrowing on Chuck's slightly slumped form. "Is everything okay?"

"My psycho Ex is suing me for custody of my daughter, my father arranged a marriage for me, my sister is a blabber mouth," Chuck listed off, "I don't think everything is okay."

Eric's eyes widened, "And somehow I don't think you listed the problem you actually want to talk to me about."

Chuck sighed. "It's Blair."

"You've only been for a couple of weeks," Eric raised an eyebrow. "Are you fighting already?"

"Worse," Chuck shook his head.

"Okay, you're going to have to clarify, because right now I can only think that you've escalated to physical violence." Eric said a bit worriedly.

"No, no," Chuck assured him. "It's just that," he trailed off. "I think I'm attracted to Blair."

"You think, or you are?"

"I am," Chuck sighed, as if he was revealing a great weakness.

"That's not a surprise." Eric admitted with a soft smile.

"Really?" Chuck looked up curiously.

"Blair's an attractive woman, and she holds her own against you. Are you really that surprised that you like her?" Eric's smile grew in size

"Like is such a juvenile word," Chuck murmured, his expression growing stony.

"Well you're acting like a kid with a crush. It's okay to like Blair, Chuck. She's your wife." Eric said slowly, as if explaining it to a two year old.

"You all keep saying that, but she's not my wife, not the one I chose." Chuck said angrily.

Eric merely raised an eyebrow at him. "Do you know that arranged marriages happen all around the world to this day?"

"Yeah, of course." He dismissed almost instantly.

"The idea is that the parents pair two people together that they think have the potential to lead a happy life together." Eric explained thoughtfully. "After the marriage is over, the parents back off and it's up to the couple to decide how their marriage will work. Some people don't work out, and some people compromise, but some people," Eric said earnestly, "Some people, Chuck, they're really happy together."

"And you think Blair and I," Chuck trailed off.

"I think you guys could be really happy together." Eric said simply. "Just imagine if you met Blair before all of this, back when you were in high school. Don't you think you would have went out with her?"

"I might have slept with her," Chuck admitted slowly, reveling in the mental image of Blair prancing around in a Constance uniform.

Eric rolled his eyes. "Whatever. I'm just saying it's not so crazy that you'd like to make this marriage real. And the way I see it, there's nothing wrong with that."

"But what about Evelyn?" Chuck said hesitantly.

"What about her?" Eric asked with a knowing smile. "Chuck, Evelyn wants you to be happy. Take things slow with Blair, get to know her. Then if things get serious, then worry about Evelyn."

"Blair's my wife, things are already serious," Chuck groaned.

"That's my point," Eric stressed. "Either you treat Blair like your wife or you don't. It's up to you."

"But Georgina," Chuck said weakly.

"Don't you think it would make your case stronger if you actually cared about Blair. The longer you only pretend to care about her, or hide your feelings, the longer you risk the truth coming out." Eric explained, his expression growing smugger.

"So you think I should?" Chuck trailed off thoughtfully.

"I think you should." Eric nodded, "If you want to, of course."

Chuck mused on that for a moment. He hadn't had much relationship experience. Before Evelyn, he had only been interested in instant gratification, one night stands and such. After Evelyn, he didn't care much for anything long term. He had Evelyn to take care of, and that was the only thing he could focus on. His only relationship had been with Raina Thrope. And that had been a mistake. Evelyn hated her and Raina was not good with children. It had ended poorly.

Chuck could only hope that Blair was different.

His phone buzzed once, and Dorota's name flashed across the screen.

"One moment," he held up his hand towards Eric, who nodded happily. "Dorota," he said into the phone. "How can I help you?"

"Oh Mr. Chuck," Dorota said into the phone, sounding flustered and congested. "I call you about Miss. Evelyn. I very sick, won't be able to pick up Miss. Evelyn from school."

Chuck frowned into the phone, "Don't worry about it, Dorota. I'll pick her up."

"Thank you Mr. Chuck," Dorota wheezed into the receiver with gratitude.

"I gotta go," he said to Eric, hanging up the phone. "I need to pick Evelyn up from school."

"Oh," Eric said, sitting up straighter. "Want me to do it? I know you have to probably go back to work, and I haven't seen the little angel in a while."

Chuck pondered on that, "No, I need to spend some time with her anyway."

Eric simply shrugged. "Think about what I said," he said before clapping Chuck on the back and walking away towards his town car.

Chuck mused on Eric's words as he rode towards Evelyn's school. Maybe this was the only option, seeing where things went with Blair. There were risks, but maybe, he thought, he was willing to take them. That surprised him more than anything.

"We're here," Arthur said, rolling down the partition.

Chuck looked up suddenly at the looming gray building that was Evelyn's school. He looked around quickly, looking for any sign of Evelyn. When he caught sight of her, her back was to him and she was walking towards a car with a petite brown haired woman that Chuck thought for a split second that he recognized her before he strode out of the car calling out to both of them, "Hey!"

They whirled around to face him. Evelyn's face lit up with joy at the sight of him. "Daddy," she screamed, before running towards him. He caught her in his arms as he looked at Blair questioningly.

"What are you doing here?" He asked her, lifting Evelyn in his arms.

"What are you doing here?" She turned the question back on him, crossing her arms over her chest.

"I asked you first," he said childishly, taking a couple steps towards her.

She didn't move forward. "I was picking up Evelyn, Dorota asked me to."

"Dorota called you?" Chuck questioned skeptically. It didn't make sense for Dorota to call Blair and then call Chuck, unless—

"Are you calling me a liar, Bass? Because Dorota only called me because she couldn't reach you," Blair began heatedly.

"Dorota just called me a few minutes ago for the first time," he cut her off, catching on to Dorota's game. He sighed; nearly everyone in his life was interested in meddling in his love life now. He longed for the days when things were simpler.

Blair raised an eyebrow, "Then why would she?"

"It doesn't matter," Chuck cut her off. He looked back towards his limo. "I'll drop both of you off at the house before I head back to Bass Industries."

Blair looked back at her town car before looking at him. "Alright," she said slowly.

He placed a light hand on the curve of her back, steering her towards the limo. She stiffened under his touch, and looked at him questioningly. He ignored her look and helped her in the limo, closing the door behind them.

By the time they were walking up the doorway to their new house, there was an older, pressed woman standing in front of their doorway, scribbling madly on legal pad. She looked up at Chuck, Blair and Evelyn approaching her, her brown eyes looking comically owlish under her thick glasses.

"Mr. and Mrs. Bass?" She asked in a shrill voice that contrasted sharply with her large appearance. When Chuck nodded, she continued. "I'm Greta, the social worker. I spoke on the phone with your assistant." She struggled for a moment to shift all her papers to her other hand, and stuck out of her right hand when it was free.

Chuck hesitated for a moment, before lightly taking the woman's hand, dropping it quickly. "Nice to meet you," he said as politely as he could manage. "I'm Chuck Bass." He turned towards Blair, "This is my wife Blair, and my daughter Evelyn." The words burned on his tongue, and he could hear Blair's sharp intake of breath at the word wife.

"Nice to meet you," Blair sniffed, but she didn't offer her hand to the woman.

"Pleasure," Greta said dryly.

"I hope you haven't been waiting long," Chuck said in a syrupy sweet voice. "My wife and I went to pick up my daughter from school."

Evelyn smiled up at the woman angelically.

Greta's face softened a bit. "Not long, Mr. Bass. Just a couple minutes."

Chuck smirked slightly, "Please call me Chuck." He heard Blair snort softly at the way Greta's eyes widened at Chuck's charm. "Shall we head inside?"

"Of course," Greta said, her cheeks beginning to tinge with pink. "Chuck," she muttered shyly.

They headed into the formal living room. "Does Evelyn need to be present?" Chuck asked Greta politely.

Greta looked at the little girl for a split moment. "Not necessarily. I would like to speak to her before I leave."

"Blair," he turned towards Blair, who was looking at Greta with slightly narrowed eyes. "Why don't you get Evelyn settled in upstairs with a snack, while I help Greta get settled in?"

Greta flushed a deeper red, while Blair turned her narrowed upset expression on Chuck, who widened his eyes purposefully at Greta, trying to make Blair understand.

"Alright," Blair said, glancing between the two of them meaningfully. "Make yourself at home." She directed at Greta before guiding Evelyn up the stairs.

Chuck turned towards her and led the older woman in the formal living room. She sat down on of the harder couches and placed a form in front of you. She tried to school her expression into a harder face, but Chuck saw through the lines.

"Now Chuck, this discussion will be as easy as you and your partner making it. I have a few questions that I need to ask you about Evelyn's upbringing to let the judge know more about the way Evelyn's being brought up in your household."

"Of course," Chuck nodded. "I can assure you that I love my daughter and I have her best interests at heart." He tried to pour as much sincerity into his voice and expression as he could.

It must work, because Greta's face softened and she smiled widely at Chuck, "Let's get started then."

* * *

><p>"I made a new friend today," Evelyn announced as Blair and her walked up the stairs together. Evelyn's eyes were focused on the ground as she skipped from step to step, walking to some rhythm only she could understand.<p>

"Really?" Blair asked, watching the younger girl. "Who is that?"

"Her name is Georgie." Evelyn said so nonchalantly, that Blair almost didn't understand who Evelyn was referring to at first.

Blair froze, one foot planted on the step in front of her. She swayed, clutching the banister. "Georgie? As in Georgina."

"Yeah," Evelyn paused, turning back towards Blair, looking curious. "She said I could call her Georgie, cause that's what all her friends call her. Do you know her?"

Blair stuttered for a moment, unsure what to say. "Where did you meet her?"

Evelyn shrugged. "She said she was outside waiting for her daughter. She started talking to me. It was so sad, B. She said she couldn't see her daughter, not yet at least, because they were keeping her from her." Evelyn sighed unhappily.

"Oh god," Blair mumbled, feeling sick to her stomach.

"I told her not to worry," Evelyn said proudly, raising her chin a degree. "She'd see her little girl soon. She was so happy." Evelyn smiled contentedly. "I should ask Daddy to help Georgie, shouldn't I? Daddy can help anyone."

"I don't think you should tell your Dad just yet," Blair mumbled numbly. "I'll tell him."

"Oh thanks, B!" Evelyn crowed, hugging Blair tightly around the knees.

Blair froze at Evelyn's touch and then relaxed at the little girl's warm hands. She pulled back from the hug and stared at Evelyn intently. "Evie, you know you're not supposed to talk to strangers right, I'm sure your Daddy told you that."

Evelyn looked down at the carpet, instantly chagrined. "I'm sorry," she said quietly.

Blair resisted the urge to instantly assure the girl that it was okay, "It's not safe, okay? You need to be careful."

"I will," Evelyn nodded, still focused on the ground.

Blair patted her on the head, "Go to your room and start your homework. I'll have someone bring you up a snack, okay?"

Evelyn nodded before skipping off to her room. As she walked down the stairs towards Chuck and that wretched child services social worker, Blair's thoughts spun out of control. She hadn't realized that Georgina would be so bold to approach Evelyn without Chuck's supervision. It meant that she was willing to break the rules to get what she wanted.

When she reached the bottom step, Chuck and Greta were looking up at her, expectantly.

"Are you alright, Mrs. Bass?" Greta asked, a note of false concern coloring her voice.

Chuck's concerned face came into view, and his hands gripped her shoulders, holding her in place. "You okay?" He asked in a low tone.

She shook her head quickly. "I'm fine," she assured him, quickly pulling herself together. "Fine," she assured him again, when he didn't look completely convinced. She turned towards Greta, trying to steer the conversation back to the social worker. "How can we help you?"

"I've discussed most of the issues with Chuck. It seems that you're more unfamiliar with the child because of the short duration of your relationship." Greta said off-handedly. Blair stiffened, but didn't say anything, Greta continued. "What's left is to prep both of you on what to expect in a custody trial."

Chuck's hands tightened, and Blair placed her hands lightly over his in attempt to soothe him. He shot her a quick look of gratitude before he glanced back at Greta.

"Custody trials are a bit unique, most people often defend themselves, but both you and Ms. Sparks have decided to have representation." Greta explained. "The judge will hear your case and evidence you have to present forward supporting your position. The judge will ask me to present my professional opinion, and then the judge will make his decision."

"Evelyn won't have to be involved, right?" Chuck clarified.

Greta's eyes softened a bit. "Unless the judge believes her opinion is necessary to make his judgment. But it's very rare. Even then, he'll conduct the interview in his chambers."

Chuck nodded. "Is it possible for either parent to get full custody?" He tried to keep the fear out of his voice, attempting to remain curious rather than desperate.

Greta pondered on this for a moment. "As you know Chuck, most mothers do get the benefit of the doubt and receive at least partial custody in these kinds of trials, unless it is proven without reasonable doubt that Ms. Sparks cannot provide a nurturing environment for Evelyn. It is unlikely that she will receive full custody immediately as well. It is more likely that the judge will order that she receive supervised visitation rights until she establishes a relationship with the child, then it will be revaluated in a few months."

Chuck's hands tightened, but he forced a smile on his face. "Thank you, Greta."

Greta smiled kindly. "It was a pleasure to meet both of you," she nodded, even bestowing Blair with a smile.

Chuck gestured for the door, "I'll walk you out." He stood up and showed Greta to the door, while Blair sagged into the couch.

Georgina was already making her first few moves towards Evelyn, and unless they struck back, she would keep hitting them over and over until she got them.

Chuck's footsteps announced his arrival back into the room. "What happened?"

She didn't bother trying to hide the worry that filled her face. "Georgina met with Evelyn."

"What?" Chuck's voice was hard with anger.

"I guess she managed to corner Evelyn outside of Constance." Blair explained quietly, feeling a bit of anger toward herself for running so late to pick up Evelyn. If she had been just a few moments early, maybe she could have caught Georgina.

"Did Georgina say anything about?" Chuck started, feeling a bit sick to his stomach.

"No, no," Blair assured him quickly, taking a few steps towards Chuck. "Evelyn thinks she's just a friend, but Chuck, if Evelyn likes her even a little bit."

"I know," he says harshly, running his fingers through his hair. "God, every time I think I could catch a break." He swore angrily.

"We need to figure out a way to get her back," Blair immediately launched at him. "We've been playing on the defensive too long. We need to attack her."

"This isn't a battle, Blair," Chuck mocked, eager to turn his anger on her.

"But this is a war," Blair finished. "You need to do something, find out something about her that would ruin her in court. You have to have some PI on speed dial, take a page out of Georgina's books and find out what she's up to."

It was true, Chuck had called Andrew quickly after Georgina's reappearance to find out more about what Gerogina was doing in town, but Andrew hadn't gotten back to him, and Blair's appearance in his life had disrupted that train of thought.

"That's," Chuck said slowly, "a really good idea. I'll call Andrew tomorrow."

Blair smirked, satisfied with that. "We need to gather evidence to take that bitch down."

Chuck nodded determinedly. "We will," he assured her. He hesitated for a moment, Eric's words ringing in his ears. "Blair I—."

She looked up at him with wide eyes, and for a moment he was struck by her beauty. She was gorgeous, in an unassuming. Wide brown doe eyes, curly dark brown hair that framed her face, plump rose red lips that he couldn't get out of his head. There was something utterly unique about her, the way she seemed to simply radiate. He had never seen any girl that matched up to her in his entire life, and he highly doubted he ever would.

And she was _his_ wife.

And he wanted her to be his wife, for a very long time.

That thought startled him enough to shake the thoughts out of his head. Tonight was not the night. He needed to think about this more, needed things with Georgina to settle down, needed to know that Blair felt the same way before he bared his heart to her in a way he never had before.

"Nothing," he assured her quickly, "I just wanted to say thanks."

Her face relaxed a fraction. "It's no matter," she dismissed with a wave of her hand. "I love a good takedown."

Chuck smiled a bit at that, that he could imagine. She turned towards the door and he stopped her again. "Blait uh—." When she turned around, he continued, feeling a bit uncomfortable. "If you want, you don't have to sleep in the guest bedroom."

It's an invitation, one he usually wouldn't have any issue voicing, but asking Blair to sleep with him, without sleeping with him, makes him strangely uncomfortable.

She stares at him for a long uncomfortable moment, before her face broke out into a large smile. "Okay," she said. "Goodnight, Chuck." Her voice washed over him, making him warm.

"Goodnight, Blair."

_Tbc._

**Hope you enjoyed that chapter! Chuck came to be a big realization in this chapter. If you're wondering, the reason that Chuck came to this realization earlier than Blair is because in the show, Chuck did come around to the idea of something more with Blair pretty quickly, before Blair at least. Blair will take some time, baby steps, but we're getting somewhere. **

**Sidenote, this is the longest chapter yet, but that might be because of the AN. **

**So, I'm going to say something that might irritate a few of you, but I'm not going to be updating next week. I know this is annoying, but next week is my first week back at uni and I'll be busy moving into my apartment, and I spent too much time writing this chapter, so I don't have next week's chapter written so I can't guarantee that I'll be done with it by Thursday. I don't want to rush the chapter too much, because then I can't guarantee the quality or length of the chapter. **

**I'll be taking the week to catch up on the story, hopefully getting ahead. Being back at school means I have a lot more time to write, so that's a good thing! **

**I'm really sorry about that, and I really hope you all aren't too disappointed. **

**In the meantime, however, if you'd like to see drabbles from the story, I'll be accepting prompts on my tumblr, I can't guarantee I'll write all of them, cause this story comes first, but I'll definitely try! My tumblr is weasleyspotter . tumblr . com (remove the spaces). **

**As always, please review and favorite if you enjoyed, and please follow if you want to see more, because there's definitely more to come!**


	12. Chapter 12

**It's Thursday, lovelies! Which means another chapter. **

**First off, I wanted to apologize for missing last week, even though I told you guys I would be. I was correct in thinking that I would have zero time for writing. I didn't have time this week, but I managed to pull myself together today, and I'm releasing this chapter, because I didn't want to disappoint you all. Writing this chapter was like pulling teeth, it was so hard to type out even though I knew exactly what I wanted to say. But the ending came a bit easier, I'll explain at the end. **

**However since this chapter was so hard to write, it's definitely on the short side. There's not much CB action in this chapter. But don't worry, it's just setting up. We'll get to the good stuff really soon! **

**Second, I just wanted to apologize to anyone that misinterpreted my Author's Note last chapter. I totally didn't mean to imply that Serena wasn't a supporter of CB. I missed the last part of that sentence. I didn't think she was a supporter in the beginning. Like around 1x07 where she judges Blair for sleeping with Chuck, which is understandable from her perspective. Basically I was trying to play on that. I wanted her to irrationally be against CB in the beginning, but then see the light and come around to be their biggest supporter. **

**Anyway, I haven't got chance to respond to reviews, so look out for that. But enough of my babble, let's get to the chapter!**

* * *

><p>When she came to in the morning, she was alone.<p>

For a moment, she felt a flash of disappointment at his absence. She shouldn't, of course, because he told her could sleep in the master bedroom, but he didn't say he'd sleep in there with her. She had gone to sleep before him, exhausted by the events of yesterday, and she hadn't heard him come in, if he even did.

The bathroom door cracked open and he slipped out, towel slung low across his hips. She let out an involuntary sigh at the sight, and he turned towards her.

"Good morning," he said quietly, as if he wasn't quite sure was awake and didn't want to wake her further just in case. "I didn't mean to wake you."

"No," she shook her head, "It's fine." She glanced at the clock. "I should probably help Evelyn get ready for school."

He shook his head, "Dorota came in, she's feeling a lot better today," and she could tell by the sarcasm in his voice that he never thought her ill in the first place.

"Oh," she sagged a bit at that; she had been looking forward to taking care of Evelyn for a morning, despite herself. He pulled a suit out of his closet. "Where are you going?" She felt like slapping herself. Of course, he'd be going to work.

"I have a meeting with my PI," he said, turning towards her with a small smile.

"About Georgina?" She felt herself perk up.

"Yeah," he nodded. "It shouldn't be too hard to dig up something on her. Georgina's never one for playing it straight."

"Let me know what you find out." She clasped her hands in front of her, suddenly unsure, but he smiled softly and nodded, slipping into the bathroom.

She grabbed her phone off the nightstand and flips through the couple of text messages that Serena had sent her in apology. She paused for a moment, before she spoke up, her voice loud enough to reach Chuck through the bathroom door. "I think I'm going to see Serena today," she said a bit unsurely.

The door cracked open and he poked his head out to look at her. "Really?"

She bit down on her lip, "I don't think there's a point in being angry with her, she was looking out for you and Evelyn."

He mused on that for a moment. "Fine," he shrugged. "Want to meet for lunch?"

She sat up a bit straighter. "Oh?"

"To talk strategy and stuff," he amended.

"Oh," she sagged a bit. "Sounds good. I'll text you when I'm done with Serena."

"Sounds good." He slipped out of the bathroom door and walked towards the bedroom door. He paused for a moment, hand hovering over the doorknob. "Blair?"

"Yeah?" She moved towards the edge of the bed.

"Have a good day." He said a bit shyly before he darted out of the bedroom, leaving a slightly confused Blair in his wake.

* * *

><p>Andrew was waiting for him in the office, sitting in the chair across from his desk as he walked in.<p>

Although, Chuck trusted Andrew as far as he could throw him, he had come to have a certain appreciation for the man. He had gotten into the habit of having a PI on speed dial from his father. Though he didn't have his father's inclination for putting surveillance on his own family.

It came in handy though. When Lily needed to find out the man that is blackmailing Serena, or when Serena got into a spot of trouble and didn't want anyone to find out, or Nate screwed up and won't tell him what's going on, or when Eric got a new boyfriend.

"Mr. Bass," Andrew stood up. There was a nervous edge to Andrew's smile that put Chuck on edge.

"Andrew," he said cordially, sitting down, "Do you have something on Georgina?"

Andrew slid a thin folder across Chuck's desk. "I'm sorry, Mr. Bass." He apologized, before Chuck even opened the folder. "This is all I could find."

Inside the folder is a few pages about Georgina's arrival on an island, her plane ticket, a purchase of a deed in her name, even a few pages on doctor's visits. He raised an eyebrow at a couple pages about blood donations she made. "Are you kidding me?"

"I admit," Andrew said hesitantly, eyeing Chuck closely. "It doesn't seem like her to be," he struggled for a moment, "such an upstanding citizen."

Chuck stared at the folder more closely. "This is too neat, too clean." He said thoughtfully, "Almost like she's trying to make herself seem more responsible."

"That's what I thought." Andrew piped up eagerly, "I've seen a case like this before. It's possible that on the island, Georgina took an alias. But she made purchases and continued to keep clean records under her original name, in case she needed it. See, she even made a library card."

"But you have no idea what her alias is," Chuck said, flipping through the pages.

Andrew shook his head. "I'm thinking about making a personal visit to the island she was on. There should be someone there that knows more."

"The sooner, the better," Chuck said, closing the folder.

"I'll be on the first flight out," Andrew agreed. He stood up and paused. "I'll find out what you need to take her down, Mr. Bass."

Chuck noticed his gaze drift down to the picture of Evelyn that Chuck kept on his desk, and felt himself soften. "Thank you, Andrew."

"My pleasure," he nodded before walking out the door.

* * *

><p>It was mid-morning by the time Blair made it to Serena's apartment.<p>

She stalled for a bit, stopping by a few moments, picking up a couple pieces of clothing for Evelyn. She even stopped by to feed the ducks, before she instructed her driver to head over to Serena's place.

It's a high rise apartment on the edge of the Upper East side and Upper West side. And she's just glad it has an elevator.

Serena opened the door, her face lighting up as she took in Blair standing on her doorstep. She smiled broadly, but made no move towards Blair. "You're here." She said, crossing her hands over her ratty t shirt that was slipping off one shoulder.

"I'm here," Blair agreed, looking around. "Can I come in?"

Serena hesitated for a moment, before stepping off to the side. "Sure."

Blair stepped into the large, open, loft style apartment with a soft smile playing on her face. It was definitely Serena. "Nice place," she said.

"Thanks," Serena continued to watch her as she walked into the living room and sat down on one of the couches.

Blair turned towards Serena, "I'm not here to apologize to you."

Serena's eyebrows rose, "What are you here for?"

Blair stared at her. "I'm here to tell you that I don't want to fight with you. I get what you were trying to do, and I appreciate that, but I need you to know that I don't need that. I can handle myself around Chuck, and I swear to you, I would never do anything to hurt him or Evelyn."

Serena eyed her closely for a moment. "I may," she said slowly, "have overreacted a bit. I'm sorry."

Blair nodded. "I appreciate that. And you did. But," she shrugged. "You had good intentions." She looked away, "And I don't really have many friends here, I don't want to lose you."

"I don't want to lose you either," Serena said, pulling Blair in for a hug.

"Okay," Blair smiled, "Then I need your help."

Serena pulled away to look at her. "What do you need?"

* * *

><p>"I don't really think this is a good idea," Serena repeated for the millionth time as they walked down the street swiftly.<p>

"You've said that," Blair said without looking back at her, "Now keep up. I didn't give up my lunch with Chuck for you to lag behind."

Serena increased her pace. "I still don't see what black berets have to do with anything."

"Shh," Blair hushed her as they weaved through the crowd.

"When I thought you needed my help," Serena continued as if she hadn't heard Blair, "I thought you needed me to pick up Evie or something. I didn't think you were going to ask me to spy on Geor—."

"Shut up," Blair hissed, pulling Serena behind a large pillar as Georgina suddenly whirled around towards them. They stand behind the pillar for a moment, until Blair poked her head out and glance around. She slowly tugged Serena out when she felt confident that Georgina wasn't watching.

"Look," Serena said grabbing Blair's hand, and pulling her to a halt.

"I know what you're saying Serena," Blair cut of Serena angrily, "Chuck has a PI who can do this, and I shouldn't follow Georgina around New York, but if I just stay at home and do nothing, I'll go crazy. Besides there's nothing more effective than following someone on their evil deeds."

"No, Blair," Serena said insistently, "Look." She pointed towards a Georgina who was still a few paces in front of them, but she seemed to be tightly embracing someone. "Who's that?"

Blair squinted, trying to place the man's features. He was handsome, the kind that seemed to attract eyes. He had a charming smile and wavy brown eyes. "I'm not sure." She raised her camera to snap a picture of the pair. Noticing the clink, Serena slapped down her hand.

"What are you doing?" Serena hissed.

"I'm taking a picture for Chuck's PI," Blair hissed back. "Anyone who associates with Georgina is probably going to be important, right?"

"Humph," Serena exhaled loudly, crossing her hands over her chest. She watched as the pair entered a building nearby. "Should we follow them?"

"No," Blair said, "There's no point. It's not like we can spy on them in their room. But," she tapped on her phone. "I think we've made a lot of progress today."

"Did you send the picture to Chuck?" Serena asked, as they turned and began to walk down the street.

"Yeah," Blair said, staring at her phone. She sighed and slipped it away. "I'll let him deal with it."

Serena looked thoughtfully for a moment. "He's probably meeting with his PI right now, I'm sure he'll bring it up."

Blair sighed. "I just want to help."

Serena melted a little bit, staring at Blair's sad face. "You did," she assured the brunette. "Now, I want to see that house of yours, I was a bit distracted the last time."

The friends met each other's eyes and let out a loud laugh.

* * *

><p>"Good morning, Mr. Bass." Nate's secretary, a perky blonde, trilled happily. "Are you here to see Mr. Archibald?"<p>

"I don't really know anyone else here," he said, rolling his eyes at her incompetence. "Is he busy?"

"No," she continued happily, "I'll just let him know you're here," she said reaching for the phone on her desk.

"No need," Chuck moved to pass her, "I can let him know myself." He pushed through the doors to Nate's office. The blonde was sitting behind his desk, staring intently at his computer. He looked up as Chuck walked into his office, but he didn't look surprised.

"I come in peace," Chuck held up his hands in mock surrender.

"Shut up, asshole," Nate smiled, gesturing to the seat opposite him. "Serena texted me. I guess Blair and her made amends."

"Blair might have forgiven her," Chuck said, "but I haven't."

Nate shot him a look. "Come on, Chuck. She means well. She was trying to take care of you."

"Tell her that as much I appreciate the sisterly affection, I think our relationship will survive without it." Chuck shrugged.

"Tell her yourself," Nate turned back to his computer. "You'll have to talk to her on Saturday."

Chuck groaned at the thought. He had successfully avoided the last few under the guise of getting used to married life, but he doubted Evelyn would stand to miss another one. "Fine," Chuck rolled his eyes. For a moment he simply stared at Nate, wondering what to say next.

"What?" Nate asked self-consciously.

"I have to talk to you about something," Chuck said slowly, the words leaving his mouth awkwardly.

Nate stiffened and turned towards him, "What is it?"

Chuck looked unsure for a moment. "I think there's," he paused. "something _wrong_ with me."

Nate frowned worriedly. "Why? Are you feeling alright?"

"No," Chuck shook his head furiously. "There's this fluttering in my stomach. I can't sleep, I can't eat, I can't focus," he spat out angrily.

Nate's frown deepened. "That sounds serious, have to gone to see a doctor?"

Chuck fumbled for a moment. "They only happen sometimes." He mumbled finally.

"When?" Nate asked seriously.

Chuck mumbled something unintelligible.

"What?" Nate asked.

Chuck sighed. "When I see Blair," he said slowly, avoiding Nate's eyes. "I feel this fluttering in my stomach.

"You mean like butterflies?" Nate laughed. "Oh god, you like her."

"Define like," Chuck spat out.

Nate clutched his stomach in laughter. "I don't think I've ever seen you like someone. This is great."

"It's really not," Chuck growled.

Nate's smile faded. "Look man," he said, "I don't mean to make fun of you. It's just interesting to see you this wound up."

"Interesting for you," Chuck huffed. He sighed, "Look I just need to you to tell me how to get rid of these _feelings_."

Nate looked at Chuck sympathetically. "Yeah," he drawled out, "I don't think that's going to happen."

"What?"

"Chuck, you pretty much admitted that you have strong feelings for Blair, who is your wife. That's not going to go away any time soon." Nate said slowly.

"There's got to be some way," Chuck said, looking around.

"There isn't," Nate confirmed, shaking his head. "And I don't get what's so bad about having feelings for Blair."

"Everything, Nathaniel," Chuck spat out. "I wouldn't expect you to understand."

"Yeah, your relationship isn't exactly conventional, but love is unpredictable." Nate said, smiling a little.

"Love?" Chuck blurted out, ready to bolt out of Nate's office.

"Calm down," Nate said immediately, "I was speaking generally."

Chuck inhaled deeply. "I just," he said slowly. "I need to get her out of my head."

Nate looked at him for one long moment. "Yeah, I get that. But my questions is, do you want to?"

For a moment, he pondered on that. Did he want her to leave? Sure he had an emotional epiphany that made him believe that he wanted her around. But weren't things to complicated. He avoided Nate's eyes.

Nate smirked, "That's what I thought."

* * *

><p>"So," Serena said, sprawled out on the bed beside Blair. "How are things between you and Chuck?"<p>

Blair shot a look at Serena, wondering if broaching the subject was a good idea, but Serena was looking at her earnestly. "Fine," she said dismissively.

Serena raised an eyebrow, "Are you two—?"

"No," Blair shook her head. "It's not like that."

"It didn't seem like," Serena frowned, sitting upright so she could look at Blair more clearly.

Blair mused on that for a moment. "There might have been something more," she said slowly, "but not anyore."

"What do you mean?"

Blair thought for a moment. "He kissed me, but then we decided to not get involved so we're not."

Serena laughed, "And it's really that simple?"

Blair frowned at Serena, "It is."

Serena stared at Blair for a moment longer. "Okay," she admitted, "Maybe it is. But answer me one thing, do you like Chuck?"

"Chuck," Blair rolled her eyes, glancing up at the ceiling, "Chuck is unlikable."

Serena smirked, rolling onto her back to follow Blair's gaze. "You didn't answer my question. Do _you_ like Chuck?"

Blair mused on that for a moment. "I don't know," she admitted finally. "Sometimes I worry that I might, I might like him too much. But," she sighed. "It's just too soon."

For a moment, Serena was silent. "Do you still love Louis?" She asked finally.

"God, no." Blair let out a bark of laughter. "Louis was a mistake and I don't miss him at all. But he broke a part of me that I don't think can be fixed."

"Look," Serena rolled back towards Blair. "If you don't Chuck, I totally get that. But if you like him," Serena smiled at Blair, "and you were asking my advice, I'd say, go for it."

"Really?" Blair sat up, looking at Serena incredulously, "because just awhile back you were furious with me for kissing him."

"I know, I know," Serena sat up as well, "but then I actually thought about it more. I kept thinking about how it would affect Evelyn, you know? How messed up she'd be if you guys broke up, how hurt she'd be. But then I thought about how messed up she'd be if you guys didn't try. Evelyn already cares about you, and I know that if you just leave, without giving you and Chuck a chance, it'll hurt her even more."

Blair felt her eyes widen at Serena's speech. "I don't know if I can give him a chance." She admitted finally.

Serena stared at her intensely, "That's up to you, but if you ask me, he's worth it."

There was a small knock at the door, and the two woman turned towards it, a small figure slipped into the crack of the door. Her brown hair was tousled and her Ariel nightgown was wrinkled from sleep. She was rubbing her eyelids, like she was trying to push the sleepiness out of them.

"Evie, honey," Serena sat up straighter, "what are you doing here?"

"I couldn't sleep," she whined.

Blair smiled at the lie, it was obvious from the girl's tiredness that moments earlier she had been fast asleep. "I'm sorry, sweetie," Blair scooted off the bed, making her way towards Evelyn. "Did we wake you?"

"No," Evelyn shook her head, holding out her arms for Blair to scoop her up. Blair moved towards the door, but Evelyn let out a shriek. "No! I wanna stay in here with you and Auntie S."

Blair looked down at Evelyn. She had never discussed with Chuck whether it would be a good idea to sleep in the bed with Evelyn. Weren't kids supposed to sleep in their own beds? But putting Evelyn in her bed when she didn't want to, didn't seem like a good idea. She shot a questioning look at Serena who merely shrugged.

"Alright," Blair agreed, moving back towards the bed. "But you have to promise me you'll go straight to sleep. You have school tomorrow."

"I promise," Evelyn crowed happily, snuggling into the bed in between Blair and Serena.

The women watched as Evelyn shifted into a more comfortable position. Slowly her breathing evened out, and she began to twitch lightly. "She does that," Serena explained fondly. She turned towards Blair, "You're really good with her."

Blair shrugged, "She's easy to love."

"She is," Serena agreed. "I'm glad you love her."

Blair looked startled at the thought. Her eyes drifted towards Evelyn and she felt herself melt a bit. She did. She loved Evelyn. The thought worried her, but the little girl's presence held the worry at bay. She drifted her hands through Evelyn's hair rhythmically. "I do," Blair admitted finally, "but that's not a good thing."

Serena looked at her curiously, so Blair explained. "Chuck didn't want me to get close to Evelyn. It was in our Pre-nup."

Serena rolled her eyes. "That was ages ago. Things have changed. I'm sure Chuck changed his mind on the whole thing."

"Evelyn is something I doubt Chuck would change his mind on," Blair said softly.

Serena nodded slowly, "Yeah, but Evelyn is also someone Chuck would give up everything for. I'm sure a Pre-nup means nothing to him if you're good for her."

Blair thought about for a moment, continuing to run her fingers through Evelyn's deep brown hair. She loved the way it curled around the pillow like little streams flowing over the edge of the pillow.

"I guess the question is," Serena continued, "Would you want to stay for her?"

"I want to," Blair admitted immediately. She was taken aback at how instantly the answer came to her. She raised an absent hand to her mouth.

Serena smiled widely. "I guess that answers your questions."

* * *

><p>When he got home, the house was silent.<p>

It wasn't like Chuck expected anyone to be up waiting for him, it was well back one in the morning. But he still has a hard time suppressing the feeling of disappointment that rises up in his chest.

He made his way upstairs to Evelyn's bedroom and pushed the door open to find an empty bed. He felt panic race through his chest at the sight of the rumpled sheets. He strode downstairs to the master bedroom and pushed the door open, intent on shaking Blair awake to find out where his daughter was.

But as he pushed the door open, he was greeted with a sight he didn't expect. There was three people in his bed. On the left side, where he slept, was a sprawled out blonde that he recognized almost immediately. In the middle was a tiny figure occupying most of the space despite her size. Her feet were pointing towards Serena, but her head was tucked under the chin of the third person, occupying the right side of the bed.

Blair looked angelic in sleep, a picture of innocence. He felt the urge to place a soft kiss on her pouty red lips, but he restrained himself.

He strode over to Serena and shook her lightly, careful not to disturb Evelyn. It took a moment, but slowly Serena's eyes fluttered open.

"Get out of my bed," Chuck ordered her, before she said anything.

Serena moaned, and he quickly shushed her, glancing at Blair and Evelyn, who barely moved. "Chuck," she said in a hushed whisper. "It's one in the morning."

He rolled his eyes. "You don't have to go home, but you can't sleep here." He crossed his arms over his chest to emphasis the point.

Serena glared at him as she slid out of bed. "It's all yours," she huffed, making her way towards the doorway.

"Wait," he called her to a halt, she turned towards him. "Serena, about the other day," he began slowly.

Her face softened. "I know, I'm sorry."

"Yeah," he nodded, "I'm sorry too, I know you were just looking out for me. I appreciate it." He swallowed thickly, avoiding her gaze, hoping she didn't try to hug him.

Instead she gave him a large smile. "Goodnight, Chuck." She said softly, before closing the door behind her lightly.

He threw off his jacket and loosened his tie and slipped off his shoes, before he slid into bed, curling around Evelyn, staring straight into Blair's sleeping face.

For a moment, he marveled at the warm feeling in his chest. He felt complete. Arms around his daughter, staring into the face of Blair, he felt content. He felt the warmth spread to every part of his body like a blanket.

He felt happy.

And with that thought, he went to sleep.

_Tbc._

**That last two scenes, the one with Serena and Blair in the bed and then the one with Chuck waking Serena up was something I had imagined at the start of the story. I literally pictured that conversation happening and I wanted to write it into the story at some point, so I was totally happy to finally write that scene. **

**As always please review and favorite if you enjoyed, and follow if you want to see more, because there's definitely more to come!**


	13. Chapter 13

**It's Thursday, Sweethearts! That means another chapter, if you haven't caught on just yet. Most of this chapter was written literally today, so I take full credit for any of the typos or grammar mistakes. **

**This chapter is mostly centered around Chuck, Blair and Evelyn. It's got some Chuck/Blair/Evelyn, some Chuck/Evelyn, some Blair/Evelyn, and more importantly some Chuck/Blair. So hopefully this makes you all content until next Thursday. **

* * *

><p>"Daddy," Evelyn called out from underneath his desk.<p>

He pulled back to peer down at her. "What?"

"I'm trying to draw a picture," she frowned at the pen in her hand, "The grass isn't blue, Daddy."

He smiled at her, "I know, baby."

"But you only have blue and black pens." She threw the pen to the floor. "I can't color properly."

He knew that he shouldn't smile, but he felt the smile slip onto his face. He reached under the desk and pulled out Evelyn and sat her on his lap. "Sorry, Evie," he apologized, "I'll make sure to get you some crayons so you can color next time."

Evelyn frowned, "Okay," she said slowly, as if she were unsure whether this was a suitable outcome.

He watched her for a moment, marveling at the creation that was his daughter. She was so full of life and adorable. He loved her, with all his heart.

He wondered why it was so easy to admit that. He loved her completely. And he had never had trouble admitting to anyone, much less her.

But with Blair, the mere thought of his own feelings sent his stomach into a swirling pit of despair.

Not that his feelings about Blair even compared to Evelyn.

He shook that thought from his head. "Evie," he looked down at her seriously. "I love you."

Evelyn's face lit up with a mega-watt smile. "I love you too, Daddy."

He savored that moment, pulling her into his arms, relishing the way that her arms tightened around him. He knew there would be a day when she laughed off his declarations of love and pushed away his hugs. But for now, she was his.

There was a light knock at the door, and it opened slightly. Blair poked her head into the room, and she smiled at the sight of Chuck and Evelyn embracing. Slowly she backed out the door, "Sorry," she whispered.

"No, it's okay," Chuck said, pulling away from Evelyn. "Do you need something?" He had to go into the office on Sunday, and offered to take Evelyn in with him so that Blair got a moment to take a break from the both of them.

"I was actually wondering when you'd be done here," she began, a bit shyly. "I thought that maybe we could go out and do something."

"Oh," Evelyn sat up straighter. "Can we go to the park?"

Chuck glanced down at his laptop. "Well," he said slowly, and in that syllable, he can see the two faces of the women fall. He knew he should work, he should. "Just give me a moment to finish this up," he said with a sigh.

Evelyn gave a little cheer and jumped off his lap, running towards Blair. Blair lifted Evelyn up into her arms, giving a little oomph at Evelyn's weight. Evelyn giggled at the noise.

Just then the door to his office opened again, a short balding man stepped through the door, staring down at some papers in his hands so he barely noticed Blair and Evelyn. "Bass," he began, and then the door frame gently nudged Blair's frame. He looked up suddenly and his eyes widened at the sight of Blair. "Oh I'm sorry."

"It's okay," Blair said, stepping to the side, her smile was a touch too innocent. She followed it up with a venomous look at Chuck.

Chuck laughed softly, standing up. "Mr. Torrey, this is my wife, Blair Bass, and my daughter, Evelyn."

"Blair Waldorf-Bass," Blair amended, stepping towards Chuck, letting him place a soft hand around her waist.

"Oh, Mrs. Bass," Mr. Torrey said, his face lighting up with recognition. "It's lovely to meet you and finally put a face to your name. And," he smirked at her, "what a lovely face it is." He grasped Blair's hand in his own and placed a soft kiss on the back of it.

Chuck felt a twinge at anger at the display, even though he knew that Mr. Torrey was short and balding and that Blair had little interest in him. He cleared his throat, and Blair pulled her hand out of Torrey's grasp. She shot him a look that was too innocent.

"You've got a lovely family, Bass." Torrey said finally, an interesting glint in his eyes.

"I know," Chuck said, sensing that something might be shifting in Torrey. He smiled down proudly at Blair and Evelyn. He quickly dropped a kiss on Blair's cheek. He could feel Blair stiffen underneath his lips, but if things went his way, then it would be worth it.

"You know?" He tapped the folder in his hands. "You've been trying to meet with me about that property on Madison, right?" He waited until Chuck nodded. "Why don't you drop by the office tomorrow and we'll iron out the details?"

Chuck resisted the urge to smirk in success. "Sure," he nodded solemnly. "It was good to see you, Mr. Torrey."

As the short man toddled out of the room, Chuck pulled Blair a little closer. "Thank you," he murmured in her ear.

"For what?"

"I've been trying to meet with that guy for a month now," he sighed. "And now he's going to meet with me, because of you."

She pulled back, looking a bit confused.

But he didn't bother to clarify. His father had been right, Blair had grounded him in a way that Evelyn hadn't. He wasn't a messed up kid paying for his mistakes anymore. He was a married man.

He pulled away from Blair, instantly noticing the loss of warmth in his arms. "Shall we go to the park then?"

* * *

><p>"Daddy," Evelyn cried, pulling Chuck forward a bit in her eagerness, "Look the swings, can I ride the swings?"<p>

Chuck laughed softly at her eagerness, "Sure kiddo." He looked back at Blair. "I'll be right back, I have to push her."

Blair simply nodded, following them till the edge of the play structure where the tanbark began. She watched as Chuck lifted Evelyn into the swing and pulled her back high enough that Blair could hear her high pitched giggles from a few feet away. He let her go suddenly and she sailed through the air, giggling loudly, her long brown curls following behind her.

Blair could barely suppress the smile that fell on to her face at the sight. Even Chuck who was usually so poised, seem to relax a bit as he leaned forward to push Evelyn right as her swing swung towards him. He was sporting a large smile on his face that seemed to brighten up everything.

"They look great," a voice said behind her.

Instantly Blair stiffened and turned towards a smirking Georgina. "What are you doing here?" Blair snapped, sending a tense glance towards Chuck and Evelyn who didn't notice her.

"Would you believe me if I said it was a happy coincidence?" Georgina asked, looking much too innocent.

"No," Blair said angrily, "You need to leave."

"I don't think so," Georgina mused, looking towards Chuck and Evelyn. "You know, I'm glad I saw you today, otherwise, I wouldn't be able to see that."

Blair followed her gaze. "What?"

"She's smiling," Georgina said. There was a strangely soft smile on Georgina's face that caught Blair off guard.

"That's because she's having fun with her father." Blair countered. "Don't you get it? Evelyn has been with Chuck her whole life. He's her constant. She's only going to be happy like this when she's with him."

Georgina's face hardened. "She could always learn to be happy with me."

Blair shook her head, almost sadly. "It doesn't work that way. Evelyn should be with parents who care about her, not some revenge plot."

"Is that what you think?" Georgina's eyes narrowed. "And you think that Chuck is so good for Evelyn."

"I do," Blair stood up a little straighter.

"Honey," Georgina shook her head. "If you think that, you're fooling yourself. Chuck has abandoned that girl as much as I have with his business trips and his late nights at the office. What do you think a judge is going to think when I lay out how little time he's actually spent with her?"

"Chuck has always been an attentive parent," Blair stiffened, glaring at Georgina.

"In front of you," Georgina spat back. "You don't know what happened before you came along." Georgina smirked, "Maybe you should actually ask Chuck what Evelyn's favorite color is, or her favorite snack is. I'm sure," she lingered over the words, "he'll know."

"Georgie?" Evelyn's high-pitched voice cut through their conversation. Both women turned around to face Chuck and Evelyn standing a few feet away from them. Evelyn was in Chuck's arms, but she was squirming as if she wanted to be on the ground. Chuck held her in his arms tightly, but his face was drained of all color. "What are you doing here?"

Georgina's face instantly transformed into a sweet expression that Blair found to be unnatural on her harsh features. "Nothing pumpkin, I just came her for a walk and I ran into your stepmother." Georgina smirked when Blair flinched at the word.

"Georgina," Chuck said in a low voice.

"You know Georgie, Daddy?" Evelyn turned towards Chuck, a curious look on her face.

"Oh your Daddy and I go way back, pumpkin." Georgina said a devious look on her face. "You should ask him about it sometime."

"Oh," Evelyn's nose scrunched up in thought. "Do you want to play Miss. Georgie?"

"Georgina has things to do right now, Evie." Blair cut off Georgina's response. She shot an intimidating look at Georgina. "Don't you?"

Georgina paused for a moment, as if she was considering how much she could push Blair. "Yeah," Georgina said eventually. "I have some errands. But we'll see each other real soon, okay?"

"Okay," Evelyn nodded, looking back at Chuck. "Can we go on the slide now, Daddy?"

Chuck remained silent, staring at Georgina.

"Daddy," Evelyn placed a soft hand on his cheek, his attention snapped back to her.

"Sorry, baby. Yeah we'll go on the slide." Casting one last glance at Georgina, he led Evelyn over the slide.

As soon as he was out of earshot, Blair turned on Georgina. "Go," Blair ordered her. "Now."

Georgina looked amused by the proceedings. "Fine," she acquised, "but think about what I said. Trust me when I say, Chuck isn't winning any father of the year awards. And you," she shot Blair a look, "well we all know you're not mother of the year, either. Good to see you again, Waldorf." Georgina turned around and began to walk away.

Blair felt her anger boil over, but she forced herself to calm down. "Hey, Georgina," she called out, forcing the other woman to turn about. "It's Bass."

Georgina's face contorted with anger, and she whirled around and stomped out of the park.

Blair watched her with immense satisfaction.

* * *

><p>By the time Blair had come back downstairs, Chuck was already nursing his second glass of scotch. Seeing Georgina had been a shock, of course. But he was starting to realize it shouldn't be. Obviously Georgina was intent on showing up when he least expected it, so it shouldn't have been a surprise.<p>

"She's taking a nap," Blair informed him, as she settled down in a seat next to him. He absently gestured towards the scotch bottle, and she helped herself. "She's got a lot of questions."

"I'm not surprised," he snorted into his glass. He knew that he would have to tell Evelyn about Georgina and the trial, and now that it was mere days away, there was no point in delaying it.

Blair sighed and leaned towards him, "What are you thinking?"

"Nothing," he shook his head. "Just about how to tell Evelyn."

"Be honest," Blair suggested. "If you're straightforward, I'm sure she'll understand."

That was easy to say. Honesty was important, but somehow Chuck wasn't sure that Evelyn would entirely understand. She was young and naïve enough to believe that the world was fair and just. She would want to give Georgina another chance, because Georgina was nice to her. It would be hard to explain to her just how poisonous Georgina was.

Chuck glanced up at Blair who had a troubled look on her face. "What's wrong?"

She looked up at him suddenly; as if she was surprised he was sitting in front of her. "It's nothing," she said unconvincingly.

He considered pursuing the subject, forcing her to tell him what it was, but he realized it might be something he didn't want to hear. He thought better of it.

"Chuck," Blair said slowly, and he realized he would be finding out whether he wanted to or not. "Before we were married, you and Evelyn, you got along okay, right?"

He felt his brows furrow at her question. "Got along okay? What do you mean?"

Blair looked uncomfortable as she continued to question him. "You spent time together and such."

A sick feeling settled in the pit of Chuck's stomach, but he continued to feign innocence. "Of course, she's my daughter. I still don't understand what you're asking."

Blair's expression cleared up. "Nothing," she waved off. "I'm being ridiculous. Did you ever find anything out about Georgina?" Blair asked, changing the subject.

He accepted the offer graciously. "Nothing much," he admitted. "She's hiding something, that's for sure. But I don't know what quite yet."

"How do you know?"

He leaned forward and pulled out the thin folder that Andrew had given him a day ago out of his briefcase and handed it over to Blair. "Look inside," he instructed her.

She glanced over it for a moment, growing more and more confused with each page. "This doesn't make any sense." She concluded.

"According to those papers, Georgina was an absolute saint while she was on the island." Chuck snarked, pouring himself another glass of scotch.

"What are we going to do?" Blair asked, closing the folder.

"Andrew went to the island personally," he said. "He's going to try and find out more information. Meanwhile," he shrugged, "I suppose we try and fend her off."

"What about the guy Georgina was meeting with?" Blair asked, suddenly perking up.

"What?" Chuck looked up suddenly, his eyes were sharp.

"Didn't you get the picture I sent you?" Blair asked.

"No." He snatched his phone off the table and began to scrolling through his messages. He came across the message that Blair had sent him and opened the picture. He stared at it for a moment disbelieving.

"Do you know who it was?" Blair asked curiously, "Serena and I didn't."

"Serena was there?" He asked, his eyebrows going up in surprise.

"I don't think she could really see him," Blair admitted absently, "She kept trying to pull me away, but I needed to get the picture. Do you know him?" Blair repeated the question.

"Yeah," Chuck said with a snort, "And I'm surprised that Serena didn't recognize him. She dated him."

* * *

><p>"You didn't tell me you dated the guy." Blair screeched into the phone as soon as Serena picked up the phone.<p>

"Good afternoon to you too Blair," Serena's tired voice came over the line. Then there was a pause. "What are you talking about?"

"The guy with Georgina, the picture I sent Chuck. You acted like you didn't know the guy." Blair continued angrily.

"What are you talking about?" Serena said disbelieving, "I didn't even see the guy."

"I showed Chuck the photo and he said that you dated him." Blair waved her hands back and forth. "Serena you were with me when we saw him, or is blonde hair dye starting to affect your short term memory."

"I don't dye my hair," Serena said scandalized. "Besides I couldn't see him clearing because you were blocking me, remember?"

"I'm sending you the picture," Blair pulled away to tap on her phone, sending Serena the picture. "Look at it."

There was a moment of silence and some rustling and finally a gasp. "Oh, god." Serena gasped.

"So you do know him?" Blair confirmed.

"It's Gabriel," Serena said a bit breathlessly.

"Who is Gabriel?" Blair asked.

"Uh," Serena stuttered for a moment. "We dated in my senior year. Nate and I just broke up, and I was in a bad place. I went to Spain and I kind of got married to him."

"You got married?" Blair screeched over the phone.

"I didn't actually," Serena said quickly. "It was just a ceremony, not legal. But we started dating after that. Until," Serena trailed off.

"Until what?"

"Until I found out he was still dating Poppy," Serena concluded. "And until Chuck found out he was trying to scam the Upper East Side through me."

"What?" Blair breathed, falling onto the couch.

"He was tricking people into believing that he was taking investments for this solar energy company he was trying to run." Serena sighed. "It was a scam, and we managed to get the money back, but we couldn't get him in trouble."

"Oh," Blair sat up. "This is good then."

"How?"

"If Georgina's working with a con," Blair thought, "then we can prove that in court."

"Right," Serena said excitedly. "I can testify if you need me to."

"Thanks." Blair said, "I need to go and talk to Chuck, but we'll let you know."

"Anything I can do to help," Serena said sincerely."

"I know, S." Blair said with a soft smile. "I'll talk to you later."

"Bye, B."

* * *

><p>"Evelyn," Chuck said softly, cracking the door open to slip into the mostly darkened room that belonged to his daughter.<p>

She stirred lightly at the noise, she had always been a light sleeper. He padded his way to the side of her bed and sat down on it. He placed a soft hand on her shoulder and stroked it gently. Her eyes fluttered away and she stared at him. "Daddy?" She asked in a hoarse voice.

"Yeah, baby." He said softly. "You need to walk up."

She stretched a bit, then moved towards him, cuddling around him. "I'm tired," she whined quietly.

"I know," he said with a smile, "but you'll feel better when you get out of bed. Besides if you sleep too much now, you won't be able to sleep at night."

She nodded absently, like she had heard the words before, but they didn't mean much to her. "Five more minutes."

"How about a deal?" He offered.

She perked up at that, "What's the terms?" She asked professionally.

"You can stay in bed for a bit longer," he started, "but I have to talk to you about something."

"I can stay in bed while you talk," she repeated. "Seems reasonable." She stuttered over the word.

He held out her hand for her to shake. She smirked at him as she took it, shaking it once in agreement.

"Okay," he started, pulling his hands back to rub them on his thighs. "Evie, we need to talk about Georgina."

"Georgie?" Evelyn perked up, sitting up in her bed. "Oh Daddy, are you going to help her?"

"Help her?" Chuck asked curiously.

"She told me that she wants to see her daughter," Evelyn told him eagerly. "I thought maybe you could help her."

Chuck felt like Evelyn had just stabbed him in the chest. "Evie, I don't think I can help Georgina."

Evelyn's face fell. "Why Daddy? You can do everything."

Chuck felt his face soften. "I'm glad you have so much confidence in me. But helping Georgina is something I can't do."

"But why?" She whined, her hands clenched in anger.

"Baby," he tried to calm her, placing his hands over her own fists. "Do you remember when I told you that your mother was back in town?"

The anger left Evelyn's face suddenly. "Yeah," she said slowly.

"Well," he felt his mouth go dry. "Georgina is your mother."

There's a moment of silence, before a look of horror passes over Evelyn's face. "What?"

"I know it's a shock," Chuck said with a calmness he didn't know he possessed, "but I need you to know that because things are going to get a bit more complicated."

"Georgie is my mother?" She asked, the look of horror didn't fade.

"I know it's hard to understand." He said slowly, "The thing is," he scooted a bit closer to Evelyn, "Georgina wants to see you."

"I know," Evelyn said quietly. "She said she wanted to see her daughter, but they wouldn't let her."

"It's a bit more complicated than that, Sweetie." He tried to explain. "See when Georgina left you with me, I had her give up her rights."

"What does that mean?" Evelyn cut in.

"It means that she doesn't have the right to be her mother. She can't take see you without my permission, she can't be around you or call herself your mother." Chuck explained.

"Oh," Evelyn said softly. "So why is she back?"

"She told me that she wants to gain those rights back." Chuck said.

"Really?" Evelyn's head shot up, but her face is blank.

Chuck winced at her eagerness. "But it's not like that, Evie. Georgina isn't a good person, and I know that it's not a good idea to let her get those rights back."

"But Georgina's not mean, Daddy." Evelyn leaned forward, "She's actually really nice."

Chuck shook his head. "I know she told you a lot of things, and that's my fault. But Evelyn you can't trust her."

"It doesn't make any sense," Evelyn pulled away. "You said she was mean, that she left me. But she's not mean, and she told me that you made her leave."

Chuck pulled back, feeling like Evelyn slapped him across the face. "Baby," he said plaintively. "It really wasn't like that. She wanted to leave and I," he trailed off.

Evelyn's face fell. "And you won't let me see her."

Chuck felt his face harden. "Evelyn," he said sternly. "You don't even know this woman. You don't know what she's capable of. You can't see her."

Evelyn's face contorted with anger. "And you're a liar," she snarled back. "I want to see Georgie. I want to see my Mommy."

"Evelyn," Chuck started, feeling the anger leave him suddenly and tiredness replace it. "You can't."

Evelyn stood up suddenly, towering over him. "Leave," she screamed at him. "Go away. You're mean and I don't want to see you ever."

Chuck stood up, facing his daughter, feeling something break in his heart. "Evelyn you don't mean that," he said weakly.

"I do," she spat back at him. "I hate you."

Chuck took an unconscious step back. "Evelyn," he said quietly.

"Go away!" She screamed at him, pushing him back with both her petite hands. Even though she doesn't use much force, Chuck felt himself stumble backwards.

The door opened suddenly, and Blair peered inside. "Is everything okay?" She asked curiously.

That's enough to snap Chuck out of his haze. He strode towards the door, ignoring Blair's question. Under the doorway, he looked back at Evelyn, who was still standing on her bed, hands crossed over her chest, tears streaming down her face. "Everything I ever did was to protect you, and that may not make sense now, but it will when you're older." He promised her. "And no matter what, I will always love you."

And with that, he left the room, his heart breaking in the process.

* * *

><p>As Chuck left, Blair strode towards Evelyn's bed, scooping up the sobbing little girl in her arms.<p>

"Oh Evelyn," she soothed the girl's hiccupping sobs. She rubbed her hand up and down Evelyn's heaving back. "Oh Sweetie, it's okay."

Evelyn mumbled something unintelligible in between her sobs.

Blair pulled back a little to stare at Evelyn's tear-filled face. "What did you say, Honey?"

"Are you gonna lie to me like my Daddy and my Mommy?" Evelyn sobbed.

Blair felt her heart break, "No, Sweetheart," Blair assured her, pulling her in close. "I promise you, I will never lie to you." Slowly Evelyn's sobbed calmed down, and her breathing grew more rhythmic. Blair waited until she could only heard the slow calm breathing before she spoke. "What happened?"

"Daddy told me that Georgie was my mom," Evelyn's voice hitched at the word 'mom', but she continued, "And he said I could never see her ever again."

Blair cursed Chuck internally. Georgina's words about him being a poor father and never around bubbled up in her head, but she pushed them down, focusing on Evelyn. "Sweetie," Blair tried, "I'm sure your Daddy didn't really mean what he said."

"I can see Georgie?" Evelyn pulled out of Blair's arms, looking at Blair hopefully.

Blair winced. "I'm not sure about that. There's going to be trial, it's where your dad, Georgina and I go to court to see if a judge will allow Georgina to have the right to see you. It's not up to your dad or me."

Evelyn's face fell. "Oh."

"I know it was harsh," Blair said slowly. "I don't think your Daddy meant to make you feel bad."

"He lied to me," Evelyn frowned.

"Yes," Blair agreed. "But so did you."

"I don't understand." Evelyn shook her head.

"You told your Dad that you hated him, and I know you didn't mean that." Blair said sternly.

Evelyn looked ashamed. "I didn't," she admitted.

"The thing is, Evie," Blair said. "Sometimes we lie to protect the ones we love. Like when your Daddy says I look good in yellow when I really don't, he's just trying not to hurt my feelings."

"But you do look good in yellow," Evelyn said earnestly.

"Thanks Sweetie," Blair said with a soft smile, "But you get what I'm saying, right?"

Evelyn's face scrunched up. "So you're saying that my Daddy didn't tell me about Georgie because he didn't want to hurt my feelings."

"Essentially," Blair replied.

"I still don't get it, why is Georgie so bad?" Evelyn looked up at Blair with wide eyes.

"Well," Blair inhaled deeply, knowing she would have to speak carefully. "She did a lot of bad things when she was younger. She hurt a lot of people, and your Daddy knows that. He doesn't want her to hurt you."

"What if she changed?" Evelyn asked hopefully.

"If she really changed, and the court thinks so, then we'll have to give her a chance." Blair admitted. "But your Daddy just wants to make sure she really changed, and she's not just lying."

"Okay," Evelyn said.

"But you have to promise me something," Blair looked down at Evelyn. "Until we know for sure, promise me you'll trust your Daddy. He only wants the best for you, and out of all of us, he knows Georgina the best. He would never do anything to hurt you, so trust him."

"Okay," Evelyn nodded. "So I can't see Georgie?" She confirmed, she didn't look so upset about it.

"Not until your Daddy says it's okay. It's not right for her to see you without letting your Daddy know." Blair said.

Evelyn nodded. "I won't," she promised.

"Now," Blair stood up. "I think you owe someone an apology."

Evelyn looked unsure for a moment. "What if he's mad at me?" She asked quietly. "I said a lot of mean things."

Blair smiled down at Evelyn softly, "Don't you remember what your Daddy said to you before he left. He said that he would always love you, no matter what. Even after you said those mean things."

Evelyn's face brightened up, and she took off out of the door in a run, screaming "Daddy!" at the top of her lungs.

By the time Blair caught up to her, she was embracing Chuck tightly, murmuring something in his ear. He was nodding along to whatever she was saying. Blair didn't hear what it was, and she thought that maybe she wasn't supposed to.

Some things were only between a father and his daughter.

* * *

><p>Later in the evening, after Chuck and Evelyn had made up, after they decided to order in Chinese, after they watched Frozen, after Evelyn had fallen asleep in between them on their bed, again, Chuck thought to ask, "Did you talk to Serena?"<p>

Blair looked at him suddenly, as if she only just remembered. "I did," she said, "She remembered Gabriel."

Chuck nodded. "That's good, it'll be important."

"Do you think we can use this against Georgina?"

Chuck mused on that for a moment. "Maybe," he shrugged. "She could always argue that he changed or that he's just a friend. Gabriel was never convicted of anything, so it's hard to prove. We need solid evidence that they're working together."

Blair frowned, she knew it wouldn't be that easy, but she had hoped. "What if we talked to Poppy?" She offered. "He was dating her and Serena at the same time. If Serena didn't know anything about his scams, then maybe Poppy did."

"That's a," he paused for a moment, "really good idea. You should talk to her."

"Me?" Blair looked at him curiously. She barely knew Poppy.

"I'm sure if anyone can get the truth from Poppy, it'll be you." Chuck said, "And take Serena with you."

"What about you?" Blair asked curiously, "If you're not going to help me interrogate Miss. Knock Offs, then what are you going to do?"

"I'm going to find Gabriel."

Blair nodded, "Okay," she said. "I'll talk to Poppy." She leaned over to turn off the light on her nightstand, she slid further under the covers, watching as Chuck followed her movements.

It was quiet for so long that Blair thought Chuck fell asleep. So she was startled when he spoke. "Thank you," his voice was so soft, she thought, for a moment, that she had simply imagined. Then she felt one of his hands snake over Evelyn's body to wrap around her waist.

"For what?" She murmured back, feeling her skin blaze where he touched.

"For talking to Evelyn." He whispered. He sounded close. If she just leaned in a bit closer, she thought.

"It's nothing." She brushed off breathlessly, trying not to think about Chuck's lips touching her. His child was in between both of them, for gods' sake.

"It's not nothing," his hand tightened around her, and she could feel her breath quicken.

For a moment, everything is silent, and Chuck's grip slackens a bit. She leans up a bit to peer around Evelyn, and he really was asleep this time.

"What are you doing to me?" She asked his prone body. "I shouldn't feel this way about you."

And with that thought, she resolved to stop thinking, just in case she thought something that she shouldn't.

_Tbc._

**How about that chapter? I debated about having Dan Humphrey be the guy that Georgina was with. But I decided that Gabriel was a better choice. I always thought that Gabriel was the person that Georgina was plotting with, however I had forgotten that he dated Serena (I know, stupes), so I had to rectify that this chapter. Sorry about that.**

**How will that affect the story? Only time will tell. **

**If you enjoyed this chapter, please favorite and review. If you want to see more, please follow, because there's definitely more to come.**


	14. Author's Note

Sigh...

Another one of these.

I want to start of by saying, no, you guys will not be getting another chapter this week. Actually you won't be getting another chapter for awhile, but more on that later.

Now that I have your attention, it's mainly because I have midterms this week, I've been so swamped with work, and I don't really have much inspiration at the moment, so I can't force myself to write right now, like I have been for the past few weeks.

So that gets to my next point, this story is officially going on hiatus. Before you all cry foul, notice that I said hiatus, not indefinite hiatus. I will only be gone less than three weeks, and that is a promise. I'm simply taking a break to plan out the rest of the story. A few of you are dissatisfied with the progress of Chuck and Blair and I want to take a moment to regroup and plan out where I'm taking the rest of the story. So I'm taking the next three weeks to plan out the rest of the story, and I'll be back with a vengeance.

(And who knows, if I finish the story, you might even get biweekly updates.)

One final request, other than your patience, please don't review this. This is simply because I plan on replacing this AN with the chapter when I upload it, and I noticed that you can't review a chapter after you've already reviewed it. So if you're an avid reviewer, don't review this AN. If you have any concerns, feel free to PM me.

Until next time.


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